BREAKING: Harry Maguire has been stripped of the Manchester United captaincy

Harry Maguire has been stripped of the Manchester United captaincy, the England defender has confirmed in a lengthy statement.

Maguire became United skipper within six months of joining United for a fee of £80 million in August 2019, following on from Ashley Young's departure to Inter Milan.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was the manager at the time and Maguire would go on to retain the armband last season under Erik ten Hag despite not being first choice for large spells of the season.

Bruno Fernandes was captain for the vast majority of the campaign, with Maguire regularly on the bench and struggling to displace Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez.

But Ten Hag has told the former Hull City man he will not be his captain should he stay put for the upcoming season, prompting an "extremely disappointed" Maguire to communicate the decision in a Twitter post.

He wrote: "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 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."

Fernandes would appear to be the primary choice to become United's new skipper, despite some calls for him to step down as acting captain following his antics in the 7-0 hammering at the hands of Liverpool.

Many had even suggested that Brazilian midfielder Casemiro would be the perfect candidate with all the experience he has.

Featured Image Credit: Getty

Topics: Manchester United, Harry Maguire, Erik Ten Hag

Josh Lawless

Josh is a sports journalist who specialises in football and wrestling. He has been published by Curzon Ashton FC, Late Tackle, Manchester City FC, The Mirror, Read Man City and Manchester Evening News. He provides coverage of professional wrestling and has interviewed some of the biggest names in the field - including the first UK interview with The Hardy Boyz after their return to WWE. He has never sported a pair of Lonsdale Slip-ons, contrary to reports.

@joshlawless_