Gary Neville offers one-word response after Erik ten Hag confirms Harry Maguire will retain Manchester United captaincy

Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville expressed his excitement on social media after manager Erik ten Hag confirmed that Harry Maguire will retain the captain's armband for the upcoming season.

Maguire, who has played 144 matches for the Red Devils, has been the club captain since January of 2020. He succeeded Ashley Young in the role under the tenure of former Manchester United head coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The 29-year-old has come under severe fire on several occasions in the last campaign for his below-par performances. In the 37 matches he played for the Red Devils during the 2021-22 season, the team managed to keep just seven clean sheets.

However, Ten Hag recently confirmed that Maguire will continue to be the club captain. He said, as quoted by Manchester Evening News:

"Harry Maguire is the captain. He is an established captain, he has achieved a lot of success, so I don't doubt this issue."

Neville expressed his approval of the decision and posted on Twitter:

"Good!"

The Red Devils are currently in Thailand with their 31-man traveling squad ahead of their pre-season fixtures. Apart from Maguire, Bruno Fernandes, Raphael Varane, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Luke Shaw, Fred and new signing Tyrell Malacia will be involved in the friendly matches.

Manchester United will first lock horns with Liverpool in Bangkok on July 12. The club will then shift their pre-season preparations to Australia to face Melbourne Victory on July 15, Crystal Palace four days later and Aston Villa on July 23.

Cristiano Ronaldo 'not for sale', says new Manchester United boss

Speaking at a pre-season press conference, Erik ten Hag reiterated Manchester United's stance on star forward Cristiano Ronaldo's future.

As quoted by Manchester Evening News, he said:

"We are planning with Ronaldo for this season. That's it. I'm looking forward to working with him."

When asked about Ronaldo's desire to leave the Old Trafford outfit, he added:

"He hasn't told me this. I have read, but as I say, Cristiano is not for sale, he is in our plans and we want to get success together. I spoke with him before this issue came up. I had a conversation with him and had a real good talk."

Ronaldo, who is in the final 12 months of his current deal, is currently on leave from Manchester United's pre-season tour due to personal reasons.