Erik ten Hag has reinforced his tough guy role and issued a warning to Manchester United skipper Harry Maguire over his position in the squad just before the Red Devils face Southampton at St Mary\u2019s Stadium this weekend.<\/p>\n
Addressing the issue before the game, the new United gaffer has made it clear that wearing the captain\u2019s armband does not assure him of a spot in the team for the England international.<\/p>\n
Ten Hag dropped Maguire to the bench against Liverpool on Monday and immediately saw Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez doing an incredible job at the back in his absence.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am not looking (to name a new captain) so far. We are only one game (without Maguire),\u201d Ten Hag said\u00a0when quizzed about the possibility of changing club captain.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a leadership group and Harry is one of them, Bruno is one of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBruno did quite well as captain. He led by example and he brings so much energy to the team in and out of possession.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you are captain doesn\u2019t mean you are established to play always, especially when you also have Varane in your squad.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have options at centre-back. And you have already said Varane\u2019s stature is immense and in pre-season, we took a decision to build him physically.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are happy we built him in that way and you see when the team needed him he was really there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHis profile, his stature and what he won already in the past show he can really contribute to his team.\u201d<\/p>\n
The former Ajax gaffer, obviously shrewd as a manager, has tactical nous with a specific style of play that has brought him considerable success with his former team Ajax. He is also clearly cognisant that the task in front of him is monumental, to say the least and that the success of this assignment will require him to make bold calls without fear or favor.<\/p>\n
Maguire has been a regular at United since his \u00a380m move from Leicester City in 2019 although the 29-year-old had been taken to task severely for his poor form last season. New managerial appointments also didn\u2019t change his fortunes as he performed poorly against Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford with both teams adroitly exploiting his lack of movement and speed.<\/p>\n
Raphael Varane started ahead of him against Liverpool and capably showed what United had been missing all along as his dogged display at the back played a distinctive role in the Red Devils\u2019 rare 2-1 victory against Liverpool.<\/p>\n
The recent decisions from Ten Hag shows that he will only start deserving players and won\u2019t let the big names dictate his decision-making as had clearly been the modus operandi for the previous United managers.<\/p>\n
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