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”.
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.
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.
No leaks to the press, no moaning and disrespecting the club. Harry Maguire deserves respect for the way he handled this 👏🏾 https://t.co/fS8Gt4Dyqc
— John Shin (GoodVibesJohn) (@MrJohnShin) July 16, 2023
I cannot understand why some people are abusing Harry Maguire for making what was a sincere and classy statement.
They seem to be the same moronic fans who felt that the best way to deal with a grievance was to do an interview with Piers Morgan. pic.twitter.com/CS1BtRClKG
— 𝘾𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙖 𝘾𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙨 – aka Larry 🇾🇪 (@Cantona_Collars) July 16, 2023
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.
Luxury Manchester gym Blok confirms permanent closure after weeks of uncertainty
Daisy Jackson
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure, weeks after the doors to the premium fitness facility mysteriously closed.
Around a fortnight ago, members began to arrive to their classes to find the gym on Ducie Street locked up and a forfeiture notice on the door – but at the time, Blok said that it was fighting to reopen.
Sadly, in an email sent to members today, its founder has confirmed that the studio is now permanently closed.
Blok – which has several very successful sites down in London – said that its relationship with its landlord has ‘broken down to a point where trust has been lost’.
The gym wrote that it’s been left with ‘no workable way forward’.
They said: “BLOK Manchester was a space built by our loyal and dedicated community. Whether you joined us for one class or one hundred, we are deeply grateful. You helped create something genuinely special in an incredible city.”
In the immediate future, they said they’ll be supporting the team of fantastic trainers who worked here, as well as looking after members.
Members will be contacted within a few hours with options and refunds owed.
Blok Manchester has announced its permanent closure. Credit: The Manc Group
CEO and founder Ed Stanbury said: “While this marks the end of a chapter, we don’t see it as the end of our story in Manchester. We’re already speaking with developers about potential future sites and remain committed to returning to the city when the time is right.
“Thank you for being part of our story so far. Let’s shape the future of wellness. The mission continues.”
Commenting on Blok’s Instagram post – its first in almost a fortnight – people have been sharing their sadness at the closure of its Manchester site.
One person wrote: “beautiful space, beautiful staff and beautiful community.”
Another said: “Sending love to all the instructors !! :(((( gutted”
Someone else commented: “THE BEST CLASSES. I’m gutted.”
Manchester City plotting spending spree ‘before’ Club World Cup
Danny Jones
Manchester City are set to embark on somewhat of a spending spree this summer transfer window as the club’s higher-ups are looking to get business done before the 2025 Club World Cup.
With FIFA’s intercontinental club competition set to get underway in mid-June, the Blues don’t have too long to welcome in new players, but Man City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak has reiterated their urgency regarding recruitment.
Despite having brought in four new acquisitions in a very short space of time last season, the 50-year-old argued that he wasn’t completely happy with the extent and speed of their business.
Giving a lengthy interview this week, CFG‘s founding chairman has imposed an internal deadline ahead of the lucrative knockout competition.
Speaking with club media, Khaldoon recognised that while there were incomings in January of this year, he believes they “should have been more aggressive in some of the changes we needed to do, adding that he believes it “cost [them].”
“I can tell you today, we have clearly identified who exactly [the targets are], in what positions, and we have our clear number one option, our clear number two option”, he continues.
More importantly, he goes on to add: “We’ll go about our business, and it will be very clear, very swift. Our objective is to try to be ready with the new squad for the Club World Cup.”
He also suggested the flurry of activity this past January was not just atypical of the administration, but felt the squad fell into a crisis state with the number of injuries, insisting they “had to act.”
City have already been linked with a hugely talented and highly-rated European target in the wake of Kevin De Bruyne‘s departure and a lack of strength in depth in midfield.
An initial bid is said to have been received already and will likely be the first of many City summer signings.
He also insisted that the players who joined last season weren’t scattershot, emergency transfers (perhaps barring the resigning of İlkay Gündoğan) but were the start of the rebuild and “gives [fans] an idea of what’s coming this summer.”
Another player linked with a move to the Etihad Stadium is Lyon star Rayan Cherki, who scored in big moments during their Europa League run this year, registering 32 goal contributions across all competitions throughout the 24/25 campaign.
Who would you like to see added to Pep Guardiola’s side this summer, then, Man City fans?
You can watch Khaldoon Al Mubarak’s interview in full down below:
Danny Jones -
17th July 2023 
