Harry Maguire was designed for his performances last season, but Erik ten Hag has faith in him.
What did Erik say about Harry Maguire?
The English player will remain Man Utd captain for the 2022-23 season, the new manager has confirmed. Maguire faced significant criticism for his performances last year, with many questioning his leadership skills, but Ten Hag insists he is the right choice for the role and has explained his decision.
Objections to Harry’s captaincy and the arrival of a Dutch coach led to speculation that the armband would be given to someone else. However, Erik clarified on Monday that Harry Maguire will continue as the leader of Manchester United.
The Dutch coach said at a press conference that Harry Maguire is the captain. According to Erik ten Hag, of course, he has to get to know all the players, and that takes time, but Maguire has been a well-known captain for several years and he has achieved great success, so the head coach has no doubts about this issue.
What happened?
The centre-back has faced harsh criticism throughout Man Utd’s disappointing 2021-22 campaign under previous managers Rangnick and Solskjaer. The Englishman’s Man Utd 4-1 thrash performance at the hands of rivals Man City in March stood out and resulted in many calls to strip him of the captaincy.
Former Maguire’s Hull City teammate Ahmed Elmohamady insisted a few days after that match that Harry couldn’t handle the pressure that comes with the role and urged Ronaldo to take over next season.
In the meantime, former Man Utd captain Nemanja Vidic called for him to be removed from the team due to tainted confidence. However, Ferdinand came to Harry’s defense as he highlighted his phenomenal performances for England but emphasized that the Red Devils were not playing to his strengths.
Harry was also attacked by supporters while on international duty with England, and many of them pleased the defender in April. The Englishman even had to involve the police at one stage when the player received a bomb threat later that month.