Maguire 'dissapointed' to lose Manchester United captaincy as he vows to fight for his place

End of an era at Man United as Harry Maguire is no longer captain.

FOOTBALL Maguire 'dissapointed' to lose Manchester United captaincy as he vows to fight for his place

Joel Omotto • 20:20 - 16.07.2023

The England defender has been stripped of the armband by manager Erik ten Hag but he's not ready to leave the Red Devils yet

Harry Maguire wants to stay and fight for his place at Manchester United despite being left 'extremely disappointed' at having the captaincy taken off him by Erik ten Hag.

Maguire, who has emerged as a target for West Ham, met the United manager for talks over his future on Sunday and was informed that, as he is no longer a regular first team starter, he would not be continuing as captain of the club.

Bruno Fernandes stepped in to lead the team last season and is expected to continue.

The England international took to Twitter on Sunday to confirm the Erik ten Hag's decision, highlighting his regret while pledging his support for the next skipper.

"After discussions with the manager today he has informed me he is changing captain," he wrote. "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."

Maguire lost his place in the team after Man United's dismal 4-0 defeat to Brentford last August which resulted in his Portuguese team-mate Fernandes leading out the side.

The ex-Leicester defender started just eight games in the Premier League last season having been ever present before Ten Hag's arrival. He

Maguire was keen to share his appreciation for former boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who named him as skipper in January 2020 after the departure of Ashley Young.

"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," he added. "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."

Maguire remains determined to regain his first team place but he is among a number of targets being considered by West Ham following the sale of Declan Rice to Arsenal for £105million while United are looking to recoup cash from sales to fund their own recruitment drive.

The 30-year-old does not wish to leave United though as he believes he will still get chances to play as United return to the Champions League this season.

Ten Hag has preferred Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez as his starting defensive partnership, while Maguire also suffered with injuries last season, even playing with broken ribs at one point.