Maguire congratulates Fernandes on becoming Man Utd captain
"Maguire congratulated him and said he was really happy for me," Fernandes said after a friendly against Arsenal 2-0 in New Jersey on July 22. "I understand Maguire's position is not the best at the moment. It's been difficult for him, but Maguire congratulated me. It's nice because we've always had a good relationship."
On July 20, the Man Utd website announced that Fernandes will become the official captain of the club, replacing Maguire from the 2023-2024 season. The Portuguese midfielder revealed that coach Erik ten Hag held a meeting to directly announce this decision to the whole team.
"Everyone knew about Maguire's situation, but no one knew who would be the next captain. Therefore, Ten Hag announced the decision in a meeting with all the members," Fernandes said. He said he was very proud and emphasized that being the captain of Man Utd was a great honor and something he had never dreamed of, and thanked his family for always being there.
According to Fernandes, he was chosen by coach Ten Hag as Man Utd's new captain because of his discipline, always playing hard, passion and good performance last season. The 28-year-old midfielder insists he will not change his style and wants to lead Man Utd to greater success.
In fact, Fernandes many times wore the captain's armband of Man Utd last season, because Maguire declined in form and could not keep his official position. The Portuguese midfielder scored 14 and assisted 15 goals in 59 matches in all competitions, helping Man Utd finish third in the Premier League to return to the Champions League, win the League Cup and reach the final of the FA Cup. Fernandes believes that Man Utd has had a good season in the first year working with Ten Hag, and wants the whole team to continue to improve, fighting for every title next season.
In the first match as the official captain of Man Utd, Fernandes scored a beautiful long shot to help the "Red Devils" beat Arsenal 2-0 to maintain a winning streak in the pre-season, after defeating Lyon 1-0 and Leeds 2-0. Ten Hag was pleased with the win over Arsenal, praising the team for being proactive both with and without the ball.
After the victory over Arsenal, Man Utd continued the summer training period with friendly matches against Wrexham on July 25, Real Madrid on July 26, Dortmund on July 30, Lens on August 5 and Bilbao on August 6. In which, meeting Lens is the only match taking place at Old Trafford.
