Ten Hag Inspired by Ferguson, Sells Maguire and Forms Leadership Team at Man Utd

The New Leadership Group at Man Utd

After stripping Harry Maguire of the captain's armband and passing it on to Bruno Fernandes, coach Erik Ten Hag continues to make surprising decisions that have caught Man Utd fans off guard. Even though he granted Fernandes the captaincy, the 53-year-old manager didn't concentrate all the power in the hands of the Portuguese midfielder.

According to Manchester Evening News, the current Man Utd dressing room includes a group of player leaders, with Bruno Fernandes at the helm. Besides the newly-appointed captain, Man Utd has five other players in this leadership group. They are Marcus Rashford, Casemiro, Raphael Varane, Luke Shaw, and experienced goalkeeper Tom Heaton.

Coach Ten Hag establishes a leadership group at Man Utd

Therefore, the group consisting of Fernandes, Casemiro, Rashford, Varane, Shaw, and Heaton is responsible for managing the dressing room and motivating the entire team on the field. These players currently play pivotal roles in Man Utd's style of play (except Heaton) and showcase the qualities of true leaders for the "Red Devils."

Some Manchester United fans are questioning Harry Maguire's position in this leadership group. The English defender was appointed captain of Man Utd in January 2020, following Ashley Young's departure to Inter Milan. Since then, Maguire has always had an influence in the "Red Devils" dressing room.

After serving as Man Utd's captain for 3 and a half seasons, it is evident that the former captain has been excluded from the leadership group at Old Trafford. Not only has he lost the captain's armband, but Maguire also no longer has a voice in the "leadership group."

In a recent friendly match against Dortmund, where Man Utd suffered a 2-3 defeat, the former captain was even reprimanded by new signing Andre Onana, who had been with the team for just a few days. This situation is familiar as Maguire made a significant professional mistake during the game. In this match, the English international played poorly and is now facing the possibility of being transferred in the remaining days of the transfer window.

Read more: Is £20m a Fair Deal for Harry Maguire? Will Man Utd Regret Rejecting West Ham?

Emulating Sir Alex Ferguson's Winning Formula?

Under Sir Alex's era, Manchester United often had a group of players granted significant authority.

Coach Ten Hag's decision, as explained by journalist Tyrone Marshall in Manchester Evening News, is also aimed at curbing Bruno Fernandes' ego. Despite handing the captain's armband to Fernandes, the Dutch manager is concerned that the player's influence might overshadow the rest of the team. The leadership group of players, including Rashford, Shaw, Varane, Casemiro, and Heaton, will assist in addressing this issue.

In fact, Coach Ten Hag is "replicating" Sir Alex Ferguson's winning formula from the past. During his tenure at Old Trafford, the legendary Scottish manager empowered a group of players with significant voices in the dressing room. They were referred to as "Fergie's lieutenants."

This group included iconic figures such as captain Roy Keane, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Gary Neville, and later, Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney, and Nemanja Vidic. Their responsibility was to ensure stability in the "Red Devils" dressing room while maintaining a spirit of unity and relentless fighting spirit.

Thanks to their efforts, Manchester United under Sir Alex became a cohesive unit, fighting for each other, and reaping major accolades together. Now, Coach Ten Hag is learning from the "Old Master," and Man Utd fans hope that success will return to the club.

Video: Maguire's Error Prompting a Rebuke from Onana, the Goalkeeper, during the Match Against Dortmund:

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