Manchester United’s new head coach, Erik ten Hag has pushed Harry Maguire to demonstrate his leadership skills before Lisandro Martinez’s arrival.
Despite having a terrible 2021–22 season, Maguire will lead the team as captain to begin the new campaign thanks to ten Hag’s continued confidence in him. However, there will be more competition for starting positions in the defense with Martinez joining the team from Ajax in a move of an initial £55 million.
Along with Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof, the 24-year-old will be competing for a spot in the first squad, but Ten Hag has said that Maguire will continue to be one of the first names on the team sheet if his performances warrant it.
“I always see the captaincy as assuming that I dictate,’ Ten Hag said. ‘Team building for me is an important point and I always talk about a group of leaders. The captain is a really important one and I’m happy with him.”
The journalist went further to ask Erik ten Hag if he would always use Harry Maguire in the starting XI even after his poor performance last season. The Man United manager said: “I think he is. He’s proved it in the past but he also has to prove it in the present time and the future.”
Erik ten Hag added that Harry Maguire has played more than sixty games for the England national team and he has an impressive career which is why he expects a lot from him next season.
🗣 Erik ten Hag asked if Harry Maguire will be a first-choice starter: “I think he is. He’s proved it in the past but he has also to prove it in the present time and in the future.”
— Utd District (@UtdDistrict) July 18, 2022
He also admitted that there will be an internal competition in his squad next season as players will have to fight for a spot in the starting XI and that is what a great club like Manchester United needs. According to Erik ten Hag, a team cannot win with only 11 players, so everyone must be involved.
Even though Man United will be competing in the Europa League next season, it will increase their number of games and also with the FIFA World Cup coming up in November.
Erik ten Hag stated that the two competitions together with the English Premier League games will leave them with a lot of games next season and they need a full squad with high-quality players and not quantity.
Meanwhile, Manchester United star player Cristiano Ronaldo is yet to return to camp after saying that he wants to leave the club a few weeks ago. The Portugal hitman has missed the pre-season tour while training alone in his country.
