Harry Maguire to be STRIPPED of the Man Utd captaincy ahead of the new season

Harry Maguire is set to be stripped of the Manchester United captaincy ahead of the new season, it has been claimed.

Erik ten Hag’s United rebuild has stepped up a notch. Mason Mount arrived this week in a deal worth up to £60million while an agreement for Inter’s Andre Onana is reported to be close.

Meanwhile, long-serving goalkeeper David de Gea severed ties with the Old Trafford club after a topsy-turvy contract saga, while the likes of Scott McTominay and Fred have been linked with moves away.

Maguire, who endured a difficult season last term, is also a player that has been tipped to depart.

The England international has been heavily linked with Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle United and West Ham in the past few months.

Indeed, while Maguire has not offered any indication that he will be pushing for a transfer, it seems the 30-year-old does not figure prominently in Ten Hag’s plans.

In fact, it is now being claimed Maguire is set to have the captain’s armband taken off him, regardless of the final decision on his future.

Maguire to be stripped of captaincy

According to The Sun, Maguire is set to lose the captains armband at United this week.

The centre-back has so far been retained as the club’s skipper, despite having only started eight Premier League games last season.

And with little chance of his game-time increasing, Ten Hag will reportedly speak to his squad in the coming days for their view on the matter.

The publication has alleged that Bruno Fernandes, who took the armband for the second half of last term, is the most likely to get the full-time role.

Maguire was signed for some £80million back in 2019, but after an error-strewn few seasons, the defender fell behind Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof and Luke Shaw in the defensive pecking order.

While Maguire has suitors, interested parties may be put off but a pay hike due to United’s Champions League return.

The player has two years on his current deal but could be incentivised to move with his England spot at risk due to a lack of game-time.