Maguire ‘disappointed’ as Man United strip him of captaincy

Harry Maguire says he has been stripped of the Manchester United captaincy after crunch talks with Erik Ten Hag, the English Premier League (EPL) club’s coach.

The 30-year-old England defender broke the news in a statement on Twitter on Sunday.

After discussions with the manager today he has informed me he is changing captain. 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.

So I wanted to say a massive thank you to the… pic.twitter.com/TAOS0eisF1

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— Harry Maguire (@HarryMaguire93) July 16, 2023

Maguire joined Manchester United from Leicester City in 2019 for £80 million.

He was appointed skipper by Ten Hag’s predecessor Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in January 2020.

The centre-back has, however, endured a torrid time at the club replete with gaffes in defence. There have also been calls for his removal as United’s captain.

In the tweet, Maguire said he is “extremely disappointed” but will “continue to give my all” in United’s shirt.

“After discussions with the manager today he has informed me he is changing captain,” he wrote.

“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.

“So I wanted to say a massive thank you to the Manchester United fans for all their brilliant support whilst I’ve been wearing the armband.

“Since the day I took on the role, three and half years ago, it’s been a huge privilege to lead Manchester United and one of the proudest moments of my career to date. It’s one of the greatest honours in club football. I’ve done everything I possibly could to help United be successful – on and off the field.

“I will always be grateful to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for first giving me the responsibility and I wish whoever now takes it on every success and they will have my full support.”

Maguire managed only 16 EPL matches last season after featuring in at least 30 matches every season since his arrival at Old Trafford.

He has played 175 times for Man United in all competitions.