Erik ten Hag’s first big Manchester United decision has just got more difficult

As the rest of the Manchester United squad file back into Carrington this week, Erik ten Hag will be starting to think about one of his first big decisions as the club’s new manager.

United’s internationals are back in pre-season training from tomorrow and they will fly to Thailand on Friday to begin a 16-day summer tour, taking in four fixtures in Bangkok, Melbourne and Perth.

By the end of that trip, Ten Hag might have a better idea of who he wants to captain his United. For now, it’s presumed Harry Maguire remains the incumbent and it can be hard to read too much into who has the armband in friendlies, given the churn of players during the 90 minutes.

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The subject of captaincy has been an intensely debated one at United for a little while now, and not just outside the club. Ten Hag was asked about it in his first press conference and certainly offered no guarantees to Maguire.

“Next season is a different season, but he did a great job, he is a great player, he already achieved a lot with his contribution to Manchester United. I’m looking forward to working with him,” he said.

There’s a school of thought Maguire might be best relinquishing the captaincy to focus on getting his form back. On the basis of last season’s performances, his place in the side is far from assured.

That’s a delicate subject for a new manager to handle, however, and will be a major test of Ten Hag’s man-management skills. Those who followed his career closely in Holland talk of an astute coach and tactician, but someone whose strengths are not necessarily in his people skills.

It may be Ten Hag tries to make the captaincy less of an issue and it is the case that it’s more of a focus