BREAKING: Harry Maguire has been stripped of the Manchester United captaincy

 Harry Maguire has revealed that he has been stripped of the Manchester United captaincy after crunch talks with Erik Ten Hag.

 Maguire initially inherited the armband at United following Ashley Young's departure to Inter in January 2020, just six months after he became the world's most expensive defender by moving to Old Trafford from Leicester City. The 30-year-old was a fixture in the heart of the Red Devils' defence until Ten Hag's appointment as manager last year. Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez moved ahead of Maguire in the squad pecking order in 2023-24, leading to huge question marks over his status as captain and long-term future at the club. Ten Hag has now informed Maguire that he will be changing captain ahead of the new season, which has left the defender "extremely disappointed".

The England international confirmed the news in a post on social media, which read:

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

After discussions with the manager today he has informed me he is changing captain. 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… pic.twitter.com/TAOS0eisF1

— Harry Maguire (@HarryMaguire93) July 16, 2023

Bruno Fernandes wore the armband for the majority of last season while Maguire sat on the bench, and the Portuguese is now the hot favourite to be named United's new permanent captain. Speculation over a possible transfer away from Old Trafford for Maguire is likely to intensify after his announcement, with West Ham and Aston Villa among those currently being linked with a move for the experienced centre-half.

 Maguire missed United's first pre-season game against Leeds last week, having been granted extra time off to recover from his international exertions with England in June. He could be in line to return in a friendly clash with Lyon on July 19, but is likely to face more questions over his future before United begin their tour of the U.S. three days later.