Harry Maguire enjoys honeymoon with wife Fern Hawkins as captaincy decision looms at Manchester United

Manchester United defender Harry Maguire is currently enjoying his honeymoon at the Amalfi Coast in Italy with his wife Fern Hawkins ahead of the new season.

The 29-year-old married his long-time partner, Fern, last week in France. The ceremony was attended by well-known faces like Manchester City playmaker Jack Grealish and Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

After celebrating the start of his married life in Italy, the English defender is expected back in Manchester for the start of the pre-season under new boss Erik ten Hag.

According to Manchester Evening News, 15 players are set to begin their programmes on July 4, which includes Maguire, Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes.

Ahead of the 2022-23 season, several changes are expected to take place to kickstart the Ten Hag era at Old Trafford. Earlier last week, Daily Star reported that the new boss is open to handing the captain's armband to Ronaldo in an attempt to keep him at the club.

Maguire, on the other hand, will be keen to impress in the pre-season friendlies to assert his importance to the Red Devils. He came under severe fire on several occasions in the last campaign for his below-par performances. United conceded 57 goals in 38 Premier League games.

Earlier, in a press conference in May [via Mirror], Ten Hag had said that he was "looking forward" to working with the former Leicester City defender.

"I have to repeat, next season is a different season. I think he did a great job, he is a great player. He achieved already a lot. A really good contribution to Manchester United, so I am looking forward to working with him."

Since joining the Red Devils in 2019, Maguire has featured in 144 matches, registering seven goals and five assists. He was appointed as the club captain in January 2020 after succeeding Ashley Young in the role under the tenure of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Cristiano Ronaldo in line to be Manchester United captain

Cristiano Ronaldo, who was the club's top-scorer last season with 24 goals, is in line to replace Maguire as the Red Devils' new captain, as per acclaimed transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

Speaking to CaughtOffside, Romano said:

"Erik ten Hag will speak to individual players and there will be a decision on Manchester United captain in the coming days or weeks. At the moment, I understand that Harry Maguire is very calm and not worried about Ten Hag’s decision, which would eventually be part of the start of a new technical project."

He continued:

"Personally, I believe that Cristiano Ronaldo with his leadership can be an excellent captain but the internal decisions on these topics arise from many evaluations: I am sure that Ten Hag will be able to make the best choice."

Ronaldo has another year left on his current contract at Manchester United.