"Showing resilience and leadership" - Manchester United legend wants club to reinstate Harry Maguire as club captain

Former Manchester United defender Patrice Evra has called on the club to strip Bruno Fernandes of the captaincy. He urged the club to reinstate Harry Maguire as captain, citing his resilience and leadership amid challenges.

Harry Maguire, who joined United from Leicester City in August 2019, was appointed skipper by Ole Gunnar Solksjaer five months after his arrival. However, Erik ten Hag stripped the England defender of Manchester United’s captaincy in 2023 and named Portuguese forward Bruno Fernandes as the new captain.

In his pre-match press conference on Friday, Rubem Amorim revealed the decision to extend Maguire’s contract. He added that he told the defender to improve because the club is ''starving for leaders'' on the pitch.

Despite being stripped of captaincy, Evra believes Maguire is deserving of being reinstated as the club’s skipper. Replying to the news of Manchester United extending Harry Maguire’s contract shared on Instagram by transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, the former full-back wrote:

''Give him [Harry Maguire] the armband back!!!! After all he’s been through, showing resilience and leadership''

Maguire became a topic of conversation as Manchester United captain after current captain Fernandes saw his on-field decision-making overshadow his goal contributions.

Having gone his entire career at Old Trafford without receiving a red card, Bruno Fernandes has now been sent off three times this season. His most recent dismissal proved costly for Manchester United, leaving them with 10 men for the final 40 minutes of a match they ultimately lost 2-0 to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

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''I talk on the pitch and I want to do it more'' - When Manchester United defender Harry Maguire revealed the kind of captain he is

After Harry Maguire was named Manchester United's captain, the defender revealed the kind of skipper that he is. Maguire was named United captain on January 17, 2020.

In an exclusive interview with the club, he talked about what it means to be given the armband. When he was asked if he is a captain who talks a lot of lead by example, the center back said:

“It’s something that’s grown in my game in the last few years. I talk on the pitch and I want to do it more. It’s something I’ve tried to improve over the last few years. You can probably ask the boys… I do speak a lot on the pitch.

"I expect good standards from everyone and I demand a lot from the players around me; I’m sure they’ll all say the same. But for me it’s about being fully focused on my own performance and also now – as it has been since I started – making sure the team is successful.”

Maguire has scored 12 goals and provided seven assists for the Red Devils in 222 appearances across competitions.