Roland Cutinho
Man United boss Erik Ten Hag warns Harry Maguire against taking captaincy lightly
According to The Express, Manchester United manager, Erik Ten Hag has issued a sound warning to Harry Maguire following the imminent arrival of Lisandro Martinez.
The English centre-back has been a subject of heavy criticism last season as he was a part of a defence that let in 57 goals over the course of the league campaign. Things didn’t improve for the Red Devils even after interim boss Ralf Rangnick chose to retain his faith in his skipper.
The fans would have expected ten Hag to perhaps choose a new captain in his first season in charge. However, the Dutch manager preferred to stick with the former Leicester centre-back. Gary Neville spoke about a similar issue and he supported ten Hag’s decision of handing over the captain’s armband to Maguire.
While speaking of the captain’s armband, it has value, and the player wearing it has the responsibility to command the team well. ten Hag has made it clear that Harry Maguire would need to prove his worth by playing at his best level.
Speaking on the centre-back’s new role, the manager said:
“Harry has proved it in the past, but he has also to prove it in the present and in the future. I will support him everywhere I can. In the end, he has to do it by himself, and he has the qualities to do it. But there is also internal competition and that is what a club like United needs. You cannot win with 11 players.”
The Red Devils have now agreed on a deal for Martinez, which would bring further competition to the squad. Raphael Varane would be aiming to be fit in time to feature in the first game, whereas, Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof were impressive in the first two preseason games.
It is safe to say that Manchester United has good competition for places and this would help the manager in shuffling his players in between the tight fixtures. In any case, Harry Maguire would need to upgrade the level of his performance to help the club compete for titles.
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The fans would be hoping that the English centre-back proves that he is more than capable of handling the captaincy role for the upcoming season.
