Manchester United legend Dwight Yorke predicted Harry Maguire would be stripped of the captain's armband all the way back in October of last year - and seems to have been proven right.
Maguire was entrusted with the armband ever since he arrived in the summer of 2019 from Leicester but has failed to reach the heights many had hoped in the red of United. After losing his place in the starting lineup last term, Yorke made the bold claim that the defender would be stripped of his role as captain.
He didn't stop there however, adding a prediction that Bruno Fernandes was going to be named as Maguire's successor. He told Lord Ping: "Before he [Fernandes] was the stand-in captain, which wasn't a problem.
"I think with the Maguire scenario, looking from the outside in at the club without knowing all the details, I think he's been told he's going to be the captain going forward. When a manager tells you something like that, then that weight comes off.
"So now he's thinking, 'Right, this is my new role.' That clarity is good for the team and enables him to go out and do what he needs to do. Obviously, I wouldn't expect this to be an official announcement this season with Maguire at the club, but perhaps the manager has had a word with him and that has given him the confidence he needed as a player."
Nine months down the line and Yorke's prediction seems to have come true. There is speculation that Maguire could be sold this summer after four years at the club, but even if he remains at Old Trafford the armband is expected to go, as per The Sun.
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The England international's wage demands are thought to be a deterrent for some of his potential suitors, but once the captaincy is stripped of him, Maguire may feel more inclined to head for the exit.
Fernandes is widely viewed as the most likely successor given his status within the United dressing room. The Portugal international has been at the club for three-and-a-half years and features far more regularly than Maguire.
Last term alone the former Sporting star made 51 appearances in all competitions - 20 more than Maguire, who only made 16 in the Premier League. Given how integral Fernandes is to Erik ten Hag's plan, it makes more sense to hand the armband to someone the rest of the side can turn to on the pitch in times of trouble.
Confirmation of the captaincy change is yet to be announced, but there could be an update before United's pre-season schedule starts to take shape.
