Graham Ruthven | Harry Maguire captaincy decision highlights the power Erik Ten Hag now has at Man Utd

HARRY Maguire surely knew it was coming. Nonetheless, the central defender’s disappointment was apparent as he confirmed Erik Ten Hag’s decision to strip him of the Manchester United captaincy. “I’ve done everything I possibly could to help United be successful – on and off the field,” read Maguire’s statement.

It’s increasingly difficult to envisage an on-the-field future for Maguire who is now a long way down the pecking order at Old Trafford. Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane have emerged as Ten Hag’s first-choice centre back pairing with Victor Lindelof and even Luke Shaw preferred over Maguire as fill-in options.

Maguire is currently fifth choice for his position and so his continued status as club captain was untenable. Even still, Ten Hag’s ruthless decision highlights the power he now holds as Manchester United manager. The Dutchman is reshaping the Old Trafford club and moulding United in line with his own identity.

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

— Harry Maguire (@HarryMaguire93) July 16, 2023

This was also clear in the way David de Gea was pushed out the exit door following the end of his contract. The Spaniard was a United legend, but lacked the ball-playing ability Ten Hag wanted from his number one goalkeeper. As quickly as de Gea left, Andre Onana was identified as his replacement with a deal expected to be concluded for the Cameroonian this week.

Ten Hag also flexed his influence by exiling Cristiano Ronaldo and ultimately pushing the Portuguese forward towards Saudi Arabia. Ronaldo couldn’t press from the front in the way Ten Hag wanted and so a decision was quickly made to head in a different direction, despite the short-term controversy it caused. United have already seen the benefit of this.

For years, Manchester United continually put off making difficult decisions. Players were handed new contracts when they should have been moved on. Mediocrity was tolerated as the club drifted further and further from the standard set by Sir Alex Ferguson. The mess Ten Hag inherited last year was of United’s own making.

Gradually, though, Ten Hag has untangled things. United have a distinct identity again with last season’s third-place finish achieved through improvements made in and out of possession. Under Ten Hag, Manchester United are now a more modern, forward-thinking team. This is starting to reflect in the way the club operates as a whole.

André Onana to Manchester United, it’s finally here we go! 🚨🔴🇨🇲

Clubs are closing in on the agreement then Onana will travel for medical tests and contract signing.

Man Utd set to request VISA for Onana for USA trip.

Ten Hag will have the new goalkeeper he wanted. pic.twitter.com/hWQX9svsMV

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) July 16, 2023

Of course, Manchester United’s ownership situation has cast a shadow of uncertainty over the club with the Glazers still assessing offers from Sheikh Jassim and Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s INEOS. Many expected United to have been sold by now, but it’s still unknown whose hands the club will be in next season.

Some reports claim Manchester United’s summer transfer activity has been impacted by the ownership situation, although a deal was still reached for the signing of Mason Mount from Chelsea with Onana also expected to join before Ten Hag and his players fly to the USA for their pre-season tour on Wednesday.

With Ten Hag in charge, though, Manchester United are still moving forward. Even if they miss out on a new number nine this summer, Ten Hag has put in place a framework which will sustain United better than anything else built by David Moyes, Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho or Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the post-Ferguson age.

The Dutchman’s team remains a work-in-progress with Manchester City and Arsenal still setting the pace at the top of the Premier League, but Ten Hag is the sort of character the Old Trafford club have desperately needed for a long, long time. This might be bad news for Maguire, buy it’s certainly good news for Manchester United as a whole.