Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has warned Harry Maguire that the captaincy role does not guarantee an automatic place in the starting XI.
The English centre-back was shockingly declared as the club’s captain for the upcoming campaign but his poor performance in the initial games has made the manager change his mind. The former Leicester City star has failed to live up to the standards since moving to Old Trafford.
The club paid a huge sum to sign Maguire but he hasn’t been able to justify his presence in the squad. Last season United gave away 57 goals in the league and the entire back-line needed a major change.
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Since then, the club has signed former Ajax manager Ten Hag and the Dutchman didn’t wait to sign a new centre-back. Lisandro Martinez moved through the doors of Old Trafford and he has been an instant hit after his last game heroics against Liverpool.
The manager may prefer to play the Argentine star along with Raphael Varane, who has been a commanding leader at the back.
As reported by the Manchester Evening News, the manager took it the hard way and made it clear that the captain’s armband doesn’t guarantee Maguire a place in the starting XI.
He said:
“I think that doesn’t mean when you are captain you are established to play always. Especially when you also have Varane in your squad. We have options. And you have already said… Varane… his stature is immense.”
“His stature and what he won already in the past shows he can really contribute to his team. For the team, there is competition and we need that. We have to cover so many games.”
This is an interesting point by the manager and it will fulfil the wish of a majority of the fans who wanted Ten Hag to bench Maguire. The team has shown immense progress and if they would be able to repeat similar success against Southampton then it would be difficult to witness the English centre-back play more often for the club.
United have to play a lot of games in the upcoming months and they would be rotating their defenders to help them keep their key players fit. As for Maguire, he will be worried about his role at the club since he has hardly performed consistently for the Red Devils.
