Harry Maguire is set to be the next casualty of Erik Ten Hag’s reshuffling axe as Manchester United summer overhaul takes shape.
Ten Hag knows what he wants at Manchester United and it appears the Dutch tactician won’t spare the sword as he sets out to ruthlessly yank off Manchester United deadwoods this summer.
After the Cristiano Ronaldo’s saga, Ten Hag has proven that he knows how to handle big egos. The former Ajax manager has now cut a towering and influential figure in Manchester United dugout with a searing influence on the squad.
David De Gea is now out of the picture. Although a significant base of Man United fans and former player and pundits like Rio Ferdinand have berated the club’s infamous handling of De Gea’s exit, it was pretty evident, the former Eredivisie manager knew what he wanted and will definitely go for it.
Now, according to the Sun, Erik Ten Hag’s ruthless reshuffling axe is now hovering on the head of Harry Maguire with the club’s captaincy badge set to change hands.
The report says Harry Maguire is officially set to lose the captain’s armband at Manchester United this week as Erik Ten Hag continues to reshuffle his sqaud.
Manchester United players are returning to the club’s preseason as the club continues to prepare for next season’s campaign.
Sources close to the Old Trafford club have revealed Erik Ten Hag will officially address the squad this week in preseason training with the captaincy badge up for grabs after Maguire’s flop spell last season.
The England star could only manage 16 Premier League appearances for Manchester United last season, his least appearance stats for the club since he joined in 2019/20 from Leicester City on a record transfer fee of £85m.
Harry Maguire played all 38 Premier League matches at Manchester United in his debut season. He made 34 appearances in his second season, and 30 appearances in 2021/22 season. In Ten Hag’s first season as Man United manager, Maguire has suffered a shock career decline.
With his England spots in jeopardy, the out-of-favor center-back has been linked with a move away from Manchester United this summer with reports of interest from Newcastle United, Tottenham, and West Ham United.
Erik Ten Hag has been clear on Harry Maguire’s future at Manchester United. Speaking to the Times, Ten Hag said Maguire is still an important part of the squad but he face high competition from Raphael Varane.
“he has high competition there with Raphael Varane [at centre back], who’s fantastic. That describes everything.
“No one would be happy with this situation [on the bench],” he said.
Apart from Varane, Harry Maguire seemed not to fare better with other defenders in Ten Hag’s squad. Ten Hag had even opted for Luke Shaw, a natural left-back, at center-back roles ahead of Maguire. As things stand, Maguire’s Man United struggles shows no sign of abating soon with his captaincy badge now set to change hands with vice captain Bruno Fernandes set to succeed him.
Futballnews understands Maguire has chosen to stay put and fight for his place in the club despite rumors linking him to an imminent exit but with captain armband set to wrist off his arm, the 30-year-old may likely reconsider his options.
Manchester United will be willing to let him go but the club is more likely to incur losses having bought him for £85m from Leicester City.
But it will still be a perfect move for Erik Ten Hag as long as he recoup some funds to augment his depleted transfer reserve and also get Maguire’s £200,000 weekly wage bill off the books.
