After losing to Manchester City in the 2023 FA Cup final, Harry Maguire waits by himself outside the dressing room as his dejected colleagues change. While Lisandro Martinez and Alejandro Garnacho converse with their Argentinian teammate Julian Alvarez outside the City dressing room, United captain Bruno Fernandes conducts interviews in many languages while wearing his uniform.
Future Uncertain: Manager’s Remarks Raise Issues
Maguire must be miserable. Despite Martinez’s inability to play, he is United’s captain yet he is a spectator, his team has lost, and he hasn’t even come off the bench. With seven minutes left, Scott McTominay was substituted for Victor Lindelof because United needed to score an equaliser. While waiting for his colleagues, Maguire checks his phone and greets passersby politely. There won’t be any charging onto the ready team bus.
Erik ten Hag said of Maguire before the Cup final: “Let’s say I’m delighted he’s here and when we needed him, he performed his job. But he also needs to make a choice.” Harry Maguire (and David de Gea) learned for the first time with certainty that their boss had questions about their futures at that point because his management wanted to spread the word. The manager, who would rather compliment than blame his players, expressed it in a polite manner, but the player, who has two years left on his contract with United, now has the upper hand.
Having Trouble Being a Captain: From Delight to The devastation
The Dutchman, who was one of 11 bad players at Brentford, made a crucial decision to fire his captain at the start of the previous campaign. Without Maguire, the team’s form improved, but Ten Hag faced other challenges, most notably how to handle Cristiano Ronaldo. He handled that situation skillfully and didn’t whine when Ronaldo raised his own petard. He has chosen his captain, and the choice was a logical one — why lead with someone who rarely plays? Even his primary back-up central defender is not Maguire.
The Yorkshireman was thrilled to receive the captaincy under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and was devastated to lose it. Even if there is no contract for being captain, this is not how it is meant to go. The armband is often handed on when a captain leaves the team in his mid-thirties; he does not get “stripped” of it (as if he did something wrong) and can continue to play for United as a former captain.
Even though Maguire had a difficult couple of years, United supporters were upset that he would miss the Europa League final after he left the game due to injury in May 2021 at Villa Park. While the majority of the players’ families stayed in Manchester, he nevertheless travelled with his entire family despite being the same as them.
The Problem with Ronaldo’s Return and Getting Used to the Change Room
With Ronaldo back and the largest figure in the locker room the next season—for better or worse—it was challenging. For the time being, Maguire plans to compete for his spot in the United team and perform as professionally as he did last season. Maguire has two years left on a deal that was upgraded when United qualified for the Champions League. Then, he kept his unhappiness to himself and simply mentioned his team. He put in a lot of work in the gym and, with the exception of his performance against Sevilla, played well when given the chance, but the damage had already been done for the majority of supporters. It might be challenging to adjust the story once you’ve been made the scapegoat.
Though the data under Ten Hag indicates that United’s No. 5 is trailing four other players for the position, the outlook is not good. It’s not what he desires, nor is it what the team anticipated for a player who chose to join United over Manchester City for the then-record sum of £80 million for a defender.
Erik ten Hag hasn't been afraid to make the big decisions at Man United 👀 pic.twitter.com/noKxSzQjyy
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) July 17, 2023
Jose Mourinho expressly told Ed Woodward not to spend more than £50 million on Maguire in May 2018, which contributed to his high price. Woodward complied with that request, but in August 2019, United paid that enormous sum to Leicester that was under no obligation to sell. Although Maguire’s abilities should still fetch a respectable amount rather than a loan deal where United receives less, United would do well to obtain half of that today.
Leadership at Carrington: Its Value and Ten Hag’s Selection of the Next Captain.
United did not aim to remove Maguire. He is also not a player like Alex Telles or Fred, who United hopes to acquire for cash to increase a transfer fund that must be utilised to acquire a striker. The club needs money to return to the transfer market and adhere to FFP regulations, so of course United will listen if an offer is made.
Maguire will see the selection of a new player as captain. Bruno Fernandes is one of the players at Carrington who is regarded as a leader, and not just because he is proficient in four different languages. He plays every game, just as Maguire used to.
When United first spoke to Casemiro, they noticed that he arrived first for training each day prior to the others, demanding a lot from them, and setting the bar high. However, as Erik ten Hag stated last week in Oslo, he will be the one to choose the next captain of Manchester United, not the locker room.
