Erik ten Hag, the current manager of Manchester United, has said that he has huge respect for Harry Maguire, even after deciding to relieve him of the captaincy. Stressing his essential role within the team.
The English giants face uncertainty over Maguire’s future, given his modest tally of just eight Premier League starts.
‘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.’ an emotional Maguire twitted after his conversation with the Dutchman.
Bruno Fernandes was handpicked by Ten Hag to be United’s new captain, displacing the 30-year-old defender, Maguire.
‘We respect Harry, Harry’s very important for this squad, for this team,’ he told MUTV, where he noted his reasons for handing over the Manchester United club captaincy to Bruno Fernandes.
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‘And, you know, in his role as centre-back, we have four centre-backs. I talked about consistency and we know we can’t do it with 11 players, so I’m happy we have four very good centre-backs.’
‘And we will need them, and he has to fight for his place, as he did last year. He has a high potential so I’m sure he will do it, he will fight for his place and then it’s up to him.’
On Fernandes’ leadership attribute, Ten Hag said, ‘A good team is always covering areas as leaders, team players, multi-functional players, specialists, individualists,’ Ten Hag informed club media.
‘But you need some leaders in the team, on the pitch, who are guiding the team, who are building the team, who are controlling the quality of the performance.’
‘And one has to wear the [arm]band and we chose, I chose, Bruno because he is a great inspiration. He is the example.’
Raphael Varane, a teammate of Manchester United, stands behind his boss’s decision regarding the change of guard.
‘He wants a team with character and he’s the leader so he has to show it himself,’ Varane said in an interview with ESPN
‘He’s not scared to take these decisions and take that responsibility. That is what we expect from the manager. He did it so I think, with things like this, you show by example.’
‘He knows exactly what he wants. He’s shown that determination and from the first day we’ve known exactly what we’ve had to do and where he wants to go. It’s all clear for the players and for the team and we have a good connection with the manager.’
Anticipating an exhilarating and promising season ahead, Manchester United stands with a clear vision, fueling their determination to achieve success on the field.