Maguire has been a controversial figure at United for several years now, with a lot of United’s shortcomings being blamed on the slow centre-back.
And with Lisandro Martinez now on board, Harry Maguire is in danger of losing his starting spot just months before a World Cup.
Martinez and Raphael Varane started and excelled for United vs Liverpool last weekend, leading to question marks over Maguire’s future.
And, speaking to reporters ahead of Manchester United’s clash against Southampton, Ten Hag suggested that Maguire will not play simply because he is the captain: “It doesn’t mean when you are captain, you are established to play always, especially when you also have Varane in your squad.
“We have options. Varane’s stature is immense and in pre-season, we took a decision to build him physically, so he had a bit of a slow start.”
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Southampton vs Manchester United
Manchester United had a woeful start to the season, which saw them lose to Brighton at Old Trafford for the first time ever before then being smashed 4-0 by Brentford.
Liverpool were not at their best on the day, though, so it will be interesting to see if United can continue that form into this weekend.
Southampton have had a decent start to 2022/23 – winning one, drawing one and losing one of their opening three matches.
The Saints do not have a great record vs United, though, having failed to beat them in any competition since January, 2016.
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