Sport

Harry Maguire applauded for ‘classy’ response after losing Manchester United captaincy

A bitter pill to swallow, no doubt, but handled very well.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 17th July 2023

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.

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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.

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Featured Image — Harry Maguire (via Instagram)

Sport

Stockport County’s playoff fortunes hampered following Callum Camps injury

Danny Jones Danny Jones Callum Camps injured Stockport County

Stockport County’s luck as we head into the crunch time period has taken a less than ideal turn as Callum Camps is confirmed to be injured.

The club now has a clearer idea of how long he’ll be out for, but it’s not great news.

Camps was subbed off in just the 21st minute during County‘s recent away clash with title contenders Wrexham after a full-blooded tackle by fellow midfielder George Dobson – a challenge which went unpunished on the day, much to the frustration of the travelling fans.

Speaking to BBC Radio Manchester on Friday, 28 March, manager Dave Challinor revealed that the physios expect him to be out for “at least 6 weeks”, meaning he’ll likely miss the rest of the season.

As one of County’s most crucial and experienced players, his presence in the middle of the park is likely to be a big miss, especially with the playoff scraps looming large for the promotion hopefuls.

Challinor acknowledged that it’s a big blow not only for the club but the Tameside-born Northern Ireland international, cutting a quietly frustrated figure in his interview and giving away little regarding Camps’ current mentality besides his obvious “disappointment.”

At 29 years old and running out of contract this summer, the injury will no doubt bring an added pressure regarding his future as well, though you would suspect most Stopfordians would like to see him stay at Edgeley Park come 2025/26 if possible.

Not only a reliable operator in the engine room but also considered by plenty of fans as one of their best players this season, there’ll be lots of Hatters worrying how much of an impact this will have on how this year’s League One conclusion pans out.

Even with prior fitness issues in recent years, he’s still managed to make an impact and work his way back into the first-choice matchday squad, and many believe he should be more of a mainstay on the teamsheet for his national team.

To make matters worse, he’s not the only one set to watch the remaining games from the sidelines, as defender Ryan Rydel also looks set to be out for the next few weeks.

Following an injury suffered at Bolton Wanderers the week prior to the Wrexham game, the Oldham-born left-back who had made 15 appearances for County this season – half of those as an increasingly regular young member of the starting XI – a hamstring problem looks to have cut his campaign short too.

With just over half a dozen league fixtures left, it’ll be interesting to see how they’ll fare if they stay within the playoff places as predicted.

It’s been a frustrating few months for Stockport as they also had to bid a reluctant goodbye to rising star and high-flying loanee Louie Barry, who was recalled by his parent club Aston Villa only for him to be loaned out to Hull City and end up getting injured himself.

When it rains, it pours, as they say.

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Featured Images — Stockport County (screenshot via YouTube)

Sport

The 2025 Manchester Marathon is set to create the UK’s biggest-ever day of running

Danny Jones Danny Jones

The 2025 Manchester Marathon is just a month away now and as this year’s race is once again set to coincide with another major event (quite literally), it’s about to become the biggest day of running in UK history.

Like, ever…

Greater Manchester is no stranger to making sporting history, be it athletics, football, tennis or otherwise – you name it, we can lay our claim to plenty.

However, stuff like this always makes us feel part of something truly ‘greater’ and genuinely special as the tens of thousands preparing to run through the city centre and surrounding areas are about to put us in the record books in the running world.

manchester marathon history
Credit: Manchester Marathon

As more than 36,000 racers, joggers, fundraisers and downright legends are scheduled to take on the Manchester Marathon this year – with the annual event on course to break its attendance record – even more will be taking on the equivalent down south, given it is one of the official World Majors.

Recently, the Manchester and London Marathons have been colliding, and with the 2025 editions of both due to take place on the same day for the second year in a row, it means there’ll be an unprecedented number of participants taking on the 26.2-mile challenge.

More accurately, it’s predicted that over 90,000 runners will be out on the roads of the nation’s capital and its second city (yeah, you heard us, Birmingham), which will be the greatest concurrent number in British history – at least on record when it comes to marathons.

The potential milestones don’t stop with just those taking part, either; as per an official press release from the event time, it’s predicted to be a record-breaking day for charity too.

An estimated £80m is set to be raised for charitable causes, including the adidas Manchester Marathon charity partners: the British Heart Foundation, Alzheimer’s Society, The Christie and Cancer Research UK. Incredible stuff.

Commenting on what will be a historic day for UK Marathons, Andrew Smith, CEO of A.S.O. UK, said: “Having the adidas Manchester Marathon and the London Marathon take place on the same day — Sunday 27th April — marks a landmark moment for British running.

“We’re incredibly proud to be part of this historic occasion, inspiring 90,000 people to take on 26.2 miles, supported by nearly a million spectators across the country.

“This year’s brand-new city centre finish [line] in Manchester will bring a whole new energy, and the friendly North vs South rivalry will only make the atmosphere even more electric.”

As if all this wasn’t already momentous enough, nearly a million spectators are expected to line the streets to cheer on all the PB hopefuls and fundraisers – we can only hope for similarly groundbreaking crowds and levels of support to mark the occasion.

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Featured Images — adidas Manchester Marathon (supplied)

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