Erik ten Hag's first press conference of Manchester United's pre-season tour was an opportunity to address some of the questions fans have been desperate to know the answers to. The main topic was the future of Cristiano Ronaldo, but the manager reiterated the club's stance that he would remain at Old Trafford next season.
Once the Ronaldo issue had been addressed, Ten Hag lifted the lid on his thoughts on the United captaincy. Though Harry Maguire wore the armband last season, many fans believe he should be stripped of the responsibility after a torrid run of form - it seems the manager has other ideas.
He 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."
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This news has divided the fanbase. Some United fans agree with it, others want to respect Ten Hag's decision as the manager, but plenty of supporters believe Ten Hag has made the wrong call.
The real question is: if not Maguire, then who? Bruno Fernandes has shown at times that his emotions can get the better of him, David de Gea lost the armband to Maguire under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Cristiano Ronaldo has asked to leave.
Bar the on-pitch performances - which despite Maguire wearing the armband during he was not wholly responsible for - Maguire acts as a senior player should do. He supports the youth, fights United's case with the referees and tries to be a leader, but even if he wears the piece of fabric that says captain on it, that doesn't stop others from stepping up as well.
Fans put so much weight on who wears the captain's armband but most successful teams, such as Liverpool and Manchester City, have leadership groups instead. This is like the United of old, with multiple players taking the lead and looking to drag the team along with them.
The captaincy debate is just another example of United focusing on the smaller details instead of the bigger picture, and when you factor in all their other issues you understand why they so far are behind their rivals. It is good that Ten Hag has moved quickly to cut out speculation and hopefully this helps the club move past the problem.
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