Manchester United have been offered a solution to their captaincy dilemma as Erik ten Hag continues to mull over who will wear the armband next season. Changes are starting to be sanctioned at Old Trafford in the dressing room and as part of a wider shake-up behind the scenes.
Harry Maguire has been skipper since shortly after his £80million switch from Leicester City three years ago. However, due to his lack of form and influence, question marks have been raised over his status and Ten Hag left the matter open when addressing the media upon his appointment in the Old Trafford dugout.
United goalkeeper David de Gea and Cristiano Ronaldo would come under consideration as possible options, while Bruno Fernandes has previously acted as vice-captain to Maguire.
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Speaking on radio station talkSPORT, former Premier League striker turned pundit, Darren Bent, said: "I think David De Gea should be the captain. My thing with Ronaldo is, we know he's a leader, but he tried to lead this season and not many of the players followed him. Some of them went the other way.
"None of them improved, none of them wanted to follow the example that he set and he's one of the greats, but there were times when people didn't pass the ball to him and he'd turn his back on them and throw his arms up in the air. That's not a captain.
"He was a captain this season without having the armband. For me, David de Gea would be my captain."
On the dilemma surrounding Maguire and his position as captain, Bent added: "It would be deserved [removing as captain] because there's an argument that Harry Maguire might not even start next season. If he [Ten Hag] brings in another centre-back, he might want to partner him with [Raphael] Varane, there's no guarantee Maguire starts."
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