Erik Ten Hag Confirms Harry Maguire Will Continue As Man Utd Captain, Gives Cristiano Ronaldo Update

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has confirmed that Harry Maguire will continue as captain for the upcoming season.

In his first pre-season press conference as Manchester United manager, an enthusiastic Ten Hag spoke positively about the defender ahead of Tuesday's clash against Liverpool at the Rajamangala Stadium, Thailand.

He said: "I have to get to know all the players, but he's an established captain and he's achieved a lot of success."

Maguire struggled in large spells throughout the 2021/22 campaign, but managed to retain his captaincy under the management of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick.

And it appears he will do so under Erik ten Hag, who is keen on bringing in a new centre-back to partner the England international, with Ajax man Lisandro Martinez being a potential target.

Former Manchester United full-back Gary Neville was delighted with the decision. "Good," Neville said on Twitter when the Maguire news was announced.

Good! https://t.co/XEB3cjpyY8

— Gary Neville (@GNev2) July 11, 2022

Neville then hit back at critics of his previous tweet.

"So the same United fans fuming with me for applauding the decision to keep Maguire as captain seem to be without knowing criticising the new manager for his decision," he wrote.

"Maybe support Maguire and stop bullying him on here! The new manager obviously likes him."

So the same United fans fuming with me for applauding the decision to keep Maguire as captain seem to be without knowing criticising the new manager for his decision. Maybe support Maguire and stop bullying him on here! The new manager obviously likes him.

— Gary Neville (@GNev2) July 11, 2022

Another subject brought up in Monday morning's press conference was the future of Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Dutch manager said the five-time Ballon d'Or winner was "in our plans" amid reports that the player wants to leave Old Trafford in his quest to play Champions League football next season.

When asked about Ronaldo's current situation, Ten Hag said: "He is not with us due to personal issues. We are planning with Cristiano Ronaldo for this season. That is it.

"I am looking forward to working with him," he added. "Cristiano is not for sale. He is in our plans. We want success together."

That press conference proves why this @Cristiano has to get resolved fast. 90% of the questions were about Ronaldo, it's going to be a huge distraction away from the plans, the focus and where Ten Hag's energy needs to be. We don't need a circus around him taking away from that. pic.twitter.com/5FZnil7mJr

— United Peoples TV (@UnitedPeoplesTV) July 11, 2022

Ten Hag also confirmed he spoke to Ronaldo ahead of their tour in Thailand.

"I had a good talk," he said. "That is between Cristiano and me, what I can confirm is we had a really good conversation together."

Thoughts on the news surrounding Maguire and Cristiano Ronaldo? Let us know in the comments.