Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was forced
into changing his Manchester United captain earlier this season, though
perhaps it was a fairly straightforward call.
United
had earmarked Harry Maguire as a leader from the moment they signed him
from Leicester City, so the Norwegian took the simple decision to make
him the permanent captain when Ashley Young departed.
But
Solskjaer and his staff are keen for more leaders to emerge in the
current squad, with several players having already worn the armband at
various stages this season. So who could succeed Maguire as skipper at
Old Trafford?
Here are six players who could wear the captain’s armband at United one day in the future:
Marcus Rashford
A
few eyebrows were raised when Solskjaer gave Rashford the captaincy for
the first leg of United’s Carabao Cup semi-final against Man City.
Although it was his 200th senior appearance for the club, he had not
long turned 22 and with David de Gea in the team, many saw the Spaniard
as the more natural choice. It mattered little on the night, even though
Rashford scored United’s only goal in a 3-1 home defeat.
Yet
Rashford – a true ‘Red’ – as supporters like to sing, has quickly
become a senior player in Solskjaer’s squad and will have designs on the
permanent captaincy. He’s a leader, a talisman and someone who really
cares about United.
Axel Tuanzebe
The
Rochdale-born centre-back is another who has taken the armband this
season – in the Carabao Cup tie against his hometown team, which was
drawn 1-1 before United won on penalties.
That was another
occasion on which Solskjaer might have given the captaincy to someone
else, with Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard both in the starting 11 that
night. But Tuanzebe, who has voiced his desire to lead United later in
his career, did a decent job and must be considered for the role if he
continues to develop as a player too. Centre-back is the perfect
position for a skipper.
Scott McTominay
McTominay
has come a long way in a short space of time, something that was
evident in United’s opening game of the campaign, that 4-0 thrashing of
Chelsea.
Not only did the homegrown midfielder star in the
United engine room that day, he made his leadership credentials clear,
screaming “we go again” in a team huddle after they’d made it 3-0. He
demands the highest of standards from his teammates.
It’s
not just that, though, which makes McTominay a captaincy contender. He
is very open and honest with the media, an intelligent speaker and a big
influence in the dressing room. As another boyhood United fan, he’d
surely love to lead the Old Trafford side one day.
Bruno Fernandes
Solskjaer
admitted that Fernandes’ ability to lead was factored into United’s
decision to sign him from Sporting Lisbon in January. Fernandes was
captain of the Portuguese side and although he’s new to this United
outfit, he looks to be leading by example already.
The
25-year-old has proven himself to be influential in the middle of the
park, built a good rapport with the likes of Fred and Anthony Martial
and you can imagine Solskjaer handing him the captain’s armband without a
moment’s thought.
Fernandes is a winner and a leader, as well as an outstanding player.
James Garner
Certainly one for the future.
Considering
Garner’s lack of first team opportunities this season you wouldn’t say
he’s close to becoming captain as things stand. But he has captained the
Under-23s on numerous occasions this season and is both a vocal leader
and a player who leads by example.
Garner won’t be skipper anytime soon, but could be considered further down the line.
Jack Grealish
An even more left-field contender than Garner, given Grealish doesn’t (yet) play for United.
But
he’s Aston Villa’s go-to man, the player everybody else gravitates
towards and he could do something similar at United if their transfer
interest comes to fruition.
Grealish has the swagger and the
confidence of someone born to be captain – and the footballing ability
too. He would relish the chance to skipper a club of United’s size.
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