Manchester United defender Harry Maguire is no longer the club captain with the Red Devils moving in a different direction.
Harry Maguire announced via Instagram he is ‘extremely disappointed’ to no longer be Manchester United captain.
He has publicly pledged to do continue to give everything for the club moving forward, however, there is a widely held expectation that he will be sold.
A report via The Sun has even linked Chelsea with a move, also citing interest from Tottenham and West Ham.
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Harry Maguire future
Manchester United’s decision over Harry Maguire was discussed on ESPN UK, and pundit Shaka Hislop made some poignant comments over the defender’s situation.
Addressing his removal as club captain, Hislop said: “I don’t think anybody’s surprised. It’s more surprising that he’s still there in all honesty.”
In regard to his statement, he added: “That’s exactly what anybody would say in that situation. ‘While I’m still a Manchester United player, I will give my all every time I pull on the shirt’, and credit to him for that.
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“But he will move on, it’s in everybody’s interests, Manchester United and Harry Maguire, and England’s, for that matter.”
The pundit commented that he believes Harry Maguire will be a better player for switching away from Manchester United.
“Move to a club where he won’t be under the same scrutiny, where he can regain confidence, play at a level which tolerates some mistakes and play yourself back into form that saw him move for £80 million. I think West Ham is a good fit in that regard.”
Ten Hag conversation with Harry Maguire
The decision over the captaincy was made by manager Erik ten Hag, who did not view Maguire as a regular starter last season.
A report from 90Min claims Erik ten Hag went as far as to ‘encourage’ Harry Maguire to pursue an exit from Manchester United this summer.
With this in mind, Maguire has handled the situation well, very professionally, and was praised for his response by Gary Neville.