Maguire ‘to lose Man United captaincy this week’ as Fernandes ‘looks likely’ to take the armband

Harry Maguire is set to lose the Manchester United captaincy this week, with a decision set to be made even if he remains at the club, according to reports.

The England defender only made eight Premier League starts last season as he fell behind the likes of Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof.

Erik ten Hag has shown that Maguire is not in his long-term thinking at Old Trafford, and therefore a change of captaincy is set to occur.

According to The Sun, Maguire will officially lose his role as captain of the club this week – even if he stays put.

Portuguese playmaker Bruno Fernandes has been named as the most ‘likely’ to take the armband off Maguire for the new season.

Follow Mail Sport on Threads here: https://www.threads.net/@mailsport

It has been reported that Harry Maguire (left) is set to lose the Man United captaincy this week, with Bruno Fernandes (right) the most likely candidate to replace him

Erik ten Hag is set to make the ruthless decision after Maguire lost his starting place 

This comes as the Portugal star was the team’s skipper for the second half of the season during Maguire’s absence from the starting XI.

The news comes after David de Gea confirmed that he would not be returning to the club, with another leader gone.

Andre Onana has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford to replace the Spaniard as United are believed to be closing in on a deal for the Inter shot-stopper. 

With Mason Mount already through the door this summer, there is optimism for further action as ten Hag continues his search for a new first-team striker.

The Dutch boss had initially outlined Tottenham’s Harry Kane and Napoli’s Victor Osimhen as two primary targets up-front.

However, due to lucrative fees demanded for both players, United have turned their attention to Atalanta star Rasmus Hojlund.  

Follow Mail Sport on Threads here: https://www.threads.net/@mailsport