Harry Maguire has revealed that he is no longer the captain of Manchester United, with the centre-back tipped to leave the club this summer.
The England international kept hold of the armband last year following Erik ten Hag’s arrival as head coach, and he started the 2022-23 campaign in the Red Devils starting XI.
However, back-to-back poor showings against Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford led to Maguire losing his starting role, with Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane becoming the first-choice partnership at the back.
Victor Lindelof is also now ahead of Maguire in the pecking order, while Luke Shaw was picked ahead of the 30-year-old in the middle of the Man United defence last term.
A disappointing campaign saw Maguire start just eight times in the Premier League, and he is currently being heavily linked with a move away from the 20-time English champions.
West Ham United and Newcastle United are both thought to be considering offers for the former Sheffield United youngster, who returned to pre-season training with Man United on Saturday.
The defender has revealed that he has been stripped of the captaincy at the club, with Bruno Fernandes widely expected to be named the new skipper, having worn the armband in the absence of Maguire last term.
“After discussions with the manager today he has informed me he is changing captain. He outlined his reasons to me and whilst I’m personally extremely disappointed, I will continue to give my all every time I wear the shirt,” Maguire wrote on his official Twitter account.
“So I wanted to say a massive thank you to the Manchester United fans for all their brilliant support whilst I’ve been wearing the armband.
“Since the day I took on the role, three and half years ago, it’s been a huge privilege to lead Manchester United and one of the proudest moments of my career to date.https://f3c16beb8ab23bb7ed41e400fe69eff1.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html?n=0
“It’s one of the greatest honours in club football. I’ve done everything I possibly could to help United be successful – on and off the field.
“I will always be grateful to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for first giving me the responsibility and I wish whoever now takes it on every success and they will have my full support.”
Maguire could potentially be involved in Man United’s second pre-season friendly of the summer against French outfit Lyon on Wednesday afternoon.
