It would not be unprecedented for an already Manchester United player to resign. Nemanja Vidic took the armband from Gary Neville in early 2010-11 as Sir Alex Ferguson wanted a solid key. The 35-year-old Neville started four games that season before a disastrous appearance that ended his career at West Brom on New Year’s Eve. Harry Maguire probably would not have been so optimistic if his captain had been removed. Maguire is 29 years old and has a four-year contract with United. He helped England to a World Cup semi-final and European Championship final, but his campaign at the club was a disaster and his promotion to captain in January 2020 was premature. Maguire is not a cut flush. Pep Guardiola called greedily three years ago and Ferguson was upset by how protracted United’s negotiations with Leicester were. READ MORE: United will defy players against Ten Hag after Ronaldo’s previous approach Ten Haag could draw a definite line in Solskier’s time by choosing his own lieutenant. Bruno Fernandez, a regular key player with a contract until 2027 at the latest, would have been an obvious choice, but his level of performance this season has been tragic. Rafael Varane would be a reliable candidate, but he is very prone to injuries. David de Gea is worth considering, although it is not clear if Ten Hag intends to keep the Spaniard at number one. What to do with Ronaldo? United’s season went from bad to worse with Cristiano Ronaldo’s disproportionate and deplorable reaction to an Everton fan filming him at Goodison Park. Ronaldo’s return home has always been a strange move and while his season individually has been a logical success, United remain synonymous with failure. Ajax thrived under Ten Haag in their progress to the 2019 Champions League semi-finals with Dusan Tadic at the top of an attack without a striker. Sebastian Haller provides a focal point for the current team and Ralf Rangnick has already informed United that he will need a newer striker. It was easy for some to formulate the theory that Ronaldo has endangered the balance of the United team due to the opportunistic nature of his return and his age. In a season that ended at 37, Ronaldo has secretly scored 18 goals in 33 United games, all in the Premier League and the Champions League and nine of them won. Ten Haag will have to make a line for Ronaldo, but Ronaldo will undoubtedly decide his future. Do the cliques continue? There are clicks in every club. Players of a certain age or nationality are likely to be attracted to a teammate who has emerged from the same ecosystem or shares the same mother tongue. Telles, Fred and Fernandes in Rome Fred and Alex Teles share the same Brazilian performance manager and the pair often leave the team’s coach with Portuguese speaker Fernandes. Spaniards De Gea and Juan Mata are tied up, as are academics alumni Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard. Paul Pogba and Victor Lideloff are neighbors and three of the British internationals at United watched the premiere of Wayne Rooney’s film at Home cinema. When a team is in the middle of one dose of horribilis, cliques are a problem, but encouraging a more inclusive culture can be very compelling. The academy building is separate from the center of the first group in Carrington, so the harmonious interaction between all age groups in the canteen is probably non-initial. Shifting under a contract is pointless The rationale behind Eric Bailly’s renewal last year was that Ed Woodward thought it would increase his resale value. He had not considered United’s many examples of signing contracts that were not worthwhile to treat players who then became unfit for sale and eventually left to leave or be released. Ten Haag is lucky that United are clearing the decks without raising a finger. Five out-of-contract players will leave and Ten Hague has to decide decisively which of those who have a contract have outgrown their welcome. Read more related articles Read more related articles Bailly is one and Phil Jones is another. Changing both would give Ten Haag the strength to demand a sports center-back to keep Maguire. Almost all the full backs are sold and United need a full back. Rejecting Anthony Martial or Marcus Rashford (or both) will free up space and funds for two strikers. Rat in a maze? When Ferguson was asked about a sudden attack of mice at Old Trafford Stadium in 2006, he said ironically: “I do not know about mice, but we have a big problem with rats!” Until the end of his season, Ferguson described United as a “sieve”, referring to the news that leaked about his departure. This was in the days of glory. Ten Hag should wear a hazmat suit before entering the dressing room, where pest control is required. Fumigation of a toxic group would slow down the flow of leaks. Read more related articles Read more related articles
