Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has officially been stripped of his captaincy at Old Trafford and while most fans feel it’s the right decision, he is being applauded for handling the situation so gracefully.
The Man United and England star has had a turbulent past couple of seasons, to say the least, struggling for both form and confidence and ultimately being dropped to the bench behind first-choice centre-back pairing, Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane.
As a result of playing fewer games this past season, in particular, many United fans had already speculated that Maguire would be losing his captaincy imminently with Bruno Fernandes having effectively already taken over for the past year or so.
That being said, the 30-year-old confirmed the news himself on social media on Sunday, explaining that following a conversation with manager Erik ten Hag, he will be giving up the captain’s armband and despite being “extremely disappointed”, has assured he will “continue to give [his] all”.
As detailed in his full statement, Maguire says, “After discussions with the manager today he has informed me he is changing captain. He outlined his reasons to me and whilst I’m personally extremely disappointed, I will continue to give my all every time I wear the shirt.
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“So I wanted to say a massive thank you to the Manchester United fans for all their brilliant support whilst I’ve been wearing the armband. Since the day I took on the role, three and half years ago, it’s been a huge privilege to lead Manchester United and one of the proudest moments of my career to date.
“It’s one of the greatest honours in club football. I’ve done everything I possibly could to help United be successful – on and off the field. I will always be grateful to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for first giving me the responsibility and I wish whoever now takes it on every success and they will have my full support.”
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Just as he expressed his gratitude towards the supporters, the fan base has equally praised the struggling centre-back for his “classy” and “mature” response, drawing a very obvious contrast to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo’s handling of his own situation last season.
I’ve been critical of Harry Maguire the athlete but I am in full admiration of the human being that is Harry Maguire.
As for Maguire’s future at the club, having now clearly been outlined as a rotation player rather than in the first-choice starting 11, everything is still very much up in the air.
The former Leicester man was reported to have been training “three times a day” earlier this month as he prepares to either fight for his place or make himself an attractive prospect for other teams; the likes of Everton, West Ham and even his previous club have all been suggested as possible destinations.
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Regarding the armband itself, it seems likely that Bruno Fernandes will continue to wear the armband for the foreseeable, though no announcement is expected to be made until after United’s next pre-season game against Lyon on Wednesday, with the full squad having now returned to training.
Details of huge Manchester City parade through city centre announced
Daisy Jackson
The victorious Manchester City will be taking to the streets in the city centre once again to celebrate their historic four-in-a-row achievement.
Details of this year’s parade have just been announced, travelling from the National Football Museum and along Deansgate.
An open-top bus will carry the team and their winners’ silverware through town on Sunday, marking their unprecedented fourth Premier League victory in a row.
If previous years are anything to go by, thousands of fans will flood to the city centre to celebrate with Manchester City when they hit the streets on 26 May.
This also happens to be the same day as the Great Manchester Run, so Manchester is expected to be extremely busy.
After tens of thousands of runners cross the finish line on Deansgate, the space will be readied for the Manchester City Parade, which will take place from 7.30pm until around 9pm.
There’ll be a number of road closures in place on Sunday for both the race and the parade.
The Blues are the first ever male team since the inception of the Football League in 1888 to win four successive championships.
Councillor Bev Craig, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “Congratulations to Manchester City. Being crowned premier league champions once again and for an astonishing fourth year in a row is an incredible achievement by the club and its players, showing once again that Manchester’s world class sporting credentials really are second to none.
“We know how much this means to fans of the club young and old – not just in Manchester but around the globe – and the homecoming parade on Sunday promises to be an unmissable night to remember for fans and players alike as they celebrate this historic title win together.”
A list of road closures over the weekend in connection with the Great Manchester Run is already available online at manchester.gov.uk/roadclosures and will be added to ahead of the weekend with any further road closures deemed necessary in order to facilitate the Manchester City parade.
Pep Guardiola admits he will miss Jürgen Klopp ‘a lot’ as Liverpool boss leaves club after nine years
Danny Jones
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confessed he will miss fellow coach and long-time rival Jürgen Klopp as he officially left Liverpool after nearly a decade this weekend.
The German football manager, who ended the Scousers’ 30-year wait for a first-division title and won them two more European cups, departed the club after nine years on Sunday following the final day of the 2023/24 Premier League season.
Having been given an emotional send-off by the Anfield faithful and delivering a heartfelt speech to the city he’s come to call “home”, Guardiola was obviously asked his thoughts on his final chapter in his post-match press conference.
While the focus was obviously on winning a record fourth league title in a row, a visibly emotional Pep did go on to admit, “I will miss him a lot”.
🗣️ "I will miss him a lot. Jurgen has been a really important part of my life."
Pep Guardiola CLOSE TO TEARS talking Jurgen Klopp, & not because his farewell overshadowed Man City winning the league. 😉
Clearly moved by the question and by taking in the years they’ve shared on the touchline, the 53-year-old said of his former Premier League and Bundesliga rival: “Jurgen has been a really important part of my life. He’s [taken] me to another level as a manager. I think we respect each other incredibly”.
He went on to add, “I have the feeling he’ll be back and I just want to say thank you so much for his words… he knows personally that behind me there a lot of things that this club provides me… he’s helped me with him and he’s been a huge competitor in my life”.
Even speaking prior to the game, Pep was already full of admiration for his opposite number, telling Sky Sports last week that not only will he miss Klopp but going so far as to claim that “football needs him, as well as naming his teams amongst those who he often struggled to unlock.
Safe to say the home crowd gave him a momentous send-off in his final appearance as the Liverpool manager, though he made certain he’ll be back to visit the city and Anfield again in the future.
Liverpool looked like he might be able to keep his side in the title fight right until the last but it ultimately went on to become a two-horse race, with the Blues beating him and Arsenal to the post once again.
Whether you’re behind ‘enemy lines’ here in Manchester or you’re just curious to hear what he said, you can watch Klopp’s farewell speech in full down below.
Regardless of the rivalries, you have to admit, it’s been great to watch the two coaches duke it out for the best part of a decade.
We’re sure Pep isn’t the only one in Manchester that’ll miss Klopp. Whoever you support, he’s been a massive character in English football.