Eric ten Hag showed a ruthless side by taking the captaincy away from Harry Maguire

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Erik Ten Hag showed ruthlessness when he took the captaincy from Harry Maguire, and Ten Hag wasn’t afraid to make decisions on Cristiano Ronaldo and David de Geas, this team is slowly becoming the ten Hag United squad, with its own distinct stamp on it.

Cristiano Ronaldo, David De Gea and now Harry Maguire. You have to hand it over to Erik ten Hag, he doesn’t do things in halves. No picking on small french fries at Manchester United. Don’t take the easy way out.

Tin Hag’s grip on this team is getting tighter all the time. When Ronaldo took over as manager in the fall, there was only one winner and it wasn’t United’s former number 7.

When De Gea and United agreed a new contract, Ten Hag wasn’t afraid to dig into his heel and insisted that the goalkeeper who had just broken club records for appearances and clean sheets was no longer required.

Now Maguire has fallen victim to Ten Hag’s ruthless streak, unofficially being tipped as captain on his first day of pre-season training.

It’s not like that decision didn’t come. In some ways, it was too late. Maguire was nominal captain for some time, spending long periods warming up the bench while de facto captain Bruno Fernandes wore the armband.

Eric ten Hag showed his tough side by stripping Harry Maguire of the captaincy, Ten Hag made some important decisions and this team slowly became a United side.

But having been reluctant to rock the boat too quickly when he walked through the door at Old Trafford a year ago, without seeing what Maguire and Fernandes had to offer, Ten Hag wasted no time this summer.

Maguire, who has led United for the past three and a half years, is no longer a captain. Whether it was a precursor to his departure remains to be seen amid interest from West Ham.

Maguire, 30, wants to stay and United are certainly not forcing him out but eight Premier League runs last season didn’t seem enough for a player who has been told by England boss Gareth Southgate he needs first-team football. To guarantee you a place to start in the Euros next summer.

Maguire’s captaincy was under fire even before Ten Hag’s arrival, when Ronaldo and Paul Pogba were among a delegation urging interim president Ralph Rangnick to leave him.

And when Ronaldo took charge of Maguire in the dressing room for saying in a televised interview after a match that United’s forwards should take their chances.

Under Tin Hag, it became simply embarrassing. Having settled on Lisandro Martínez and Raphael Varane as first choice centre-backs, the captain has been an obvious regular substitute.

When United won the Carabao Cup in February, Maguire came off the bench in the 88th minute and lifted the trophy. He did not even take to the field in the FA Cup Final three months later, despite Martinez’s absence due to injury.

Maguire then slowed down as the United players digested their defeat at Manchester City.

Ten Hag has allowed Cristiano Ronaldo to leave the club, nor has Ten Hag been afraid to let David De Gea go, and his decision on Maguire is another step towards Ten Hag to build the team in his own image.

That match confirmed the gap between the two teams for Ten Hag. It marked the end for De Gea, who convinced the manager he could wait no longer to sign a better goalkeeper with the ball at his feet. Andre Onana will replace him as United’s number 1 player this week.

It would also be Maguire’s last game as captain, albeit one he would watch from the bench.

Again, big names or reputation were no barrier for Ten Hag when it came to making the big calls. Just like when he sacked Marcus Rashford at Wolves in December for sleeping too much.

It took time, as Ten Hag always knew it would. But, slowly, that became his team, with its own distinct imprint on it.

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