Football News: Erik Ten Hag confirms Manchester United's captain this season

Although David de Gea and Bruno Fernandes had been mentioned as potential candidates to replace Ten Hag as captain, the Dutchman is content for Maguire to stay in the position.

Erik ten Hag had the chance to answer some of the queries Manchester United supporters have been itching to have answered at his first news conference of the preseason tour. 

The primary subject of discussion was Cristiano Ronaldo's future, but the manager reaffirmed the club's position that he would stay at Old Trafford for the upcoming campaign.

After addressing the Ronaldo situation, Ten Hag revealed his opinions regarding the Manchester United captaincy.

Harry Maguire wore the armband last season, but many supporters think the management should relieve him of the duty following a string of poor performances. However, the manager had other ideas.

Erik Ten Hag talked about Maguire's captaincy and said, "Maguire is the captain. I have to get to know all the players, but he's an established captain, and he has achieved a lot of success." 

Additionally, the manager of Manchester United reiterated the club's position that Cristiano Ronaldo is not for sale. "He's not with us, it's due to personal issues… We are planning with Cristiano Ronaldo for this season. I'm looking forward to working with him."

"He hasn't told me he wants to leave. I have read, but what I say, Cristiano is not for sale. He is in our plans, and we want to have success together," Ten Hag continued.

The fans are uneven at this news, and many Manchester United supporters feel that Ten Hag made the wrong decision. However, some supporters appreciate Ten Hag's decision as the manager.

But do the other choices work? Bruno Fernandes has occasionally demonstrated how easily his emotions control him. Under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, David de Gea lost the starting position to Harry Maguire, and Cristiano Ronaldo has asked to depart.

How does this decision affect Manchester United?

Ten Hag is betting on his abilities to turn Maguire back into the most expensive defensive player, who Pep Guardiola intended to put at the centre of his defence before Manchester City were outpriced.

Ten Hag has focused his early training on moving forward from the back and negotiating small spaces.

For Maguire, the ball-playing midfielders Frenkie de Jong and Christian Eriksen are essential because they give defenders more options than they did under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

It is anticipated that Manchester United will value possession and lessen the strain on players bringing the ball out of defence.

Manchester United might have used the captaincy as a carrot to encourage Ronaldo to give up on his aspirations to depart this summer.

It may have been marketed to Ronaldo as an opportunity to start a new chapter in his career at the team, much like Eric Cantona did with the "Class of 92."

The 37-year-top old's aim, Champions League football, isn't even allowed to follow in the footsteps of Manchester United's other legendary captains.

That was an effective option to take off the table in the high-stakes negotiations with Ronaldo and his agent, Jorge Mendes.

The fact that the captain is also anticipated to participate in the bulk of the games creates more concerns about Martinez, whom Manchester United is attempting to get from Ajax for about £40 million ($48 million).