Harry Maguire’s days as Manchester United captain look likely to be at an end as incoming manager Erik ten Hag prepares to let the players vote on who should succeed him.

Despite rumours of dressing room cliques and unrest, poor team performances and even worse individual form, Maguire retained the faith of three different managers – Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Michael Carrick and Ralf Rangnick and held on to the captaincy

However, according to a new report from The Sun, Ten Hag has “told sources” he will be ringing the changes in terms of the captaincy by letting the players vote for who they want to have the armband next season.

The same report then goes on to claim that insiders believe that this means goalkeeper David de Gea will be chosen by the squad to take over from the beleaguered defender.

“They claim that it is not so much a ‘rebellion’ against the current skipper Maguire, Rather a show of faith in how much respect and belief they hold in the 31-year-old Spaniard.”

Whilst we are used to taking some of The Sun’s reports with a pinch of salt, there is a ring of truth to this one.

De Gea’s popularity with his teammates is given credence by the fact that he won United’s Players’ Player of the Year award last week, ahead of the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Being relieved of the captaincy might be a blessing in disguise for Maguire, whose form may have been affected by the extra responsibility.

However, some do not like the idea of the goalkeeper being the captain because he is not able to cover the whole pitch to motivate, organise, pass on instructions and discuss decisions with the referee.

Another issue where De Gea is concerned is that he is not the most vocal of players on the pitch. Cristiano Ronaldo and Bruno Fernandes are other options.