Harry Maguire agrees with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer over future Man Utd captain

Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has echoed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ’s thoughts over a potential successor as skipper.

Maguire was handed the armband less than six months after arriving at Old Trafford and has been a key member of Solskjaer’s side as they have risen to the top of the Premier League.

The United skipper played more minutes than any other professional footballer in 2020 and has been at the heart of the Red Devils' defence during their current 14-game unbeaten run.

But that has not stopped Maguire looking to the future, with Solskjaer bringing through several academy products.

And it is one of those academy products who both Solskjaer and Maguire have tipped to become a future United captain.

Harry Maguire has been an ever-present as Manchester United captain under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer (Getty Images)

Solskjaer described Axel Tuanzebe as a future skipper after handing the defender the armband for the Carabao Cup win over Rochdale last season.

“Axel is a captain in the making, he's a leader – why not give it to young kids?” he said in an interview with talkSPORT.

“How does he handle it? He was absolutely fine, he enjoyed it. It’s just a way of telling him that we trust him.”

Showing the close bond between manager and captain, Maguire shares Solskjaer's thoughts over Tuanzebe's potential as a leader.

Harry Maguire has hailed Axel Tuanzebe as a future Manchester United captain (Getty Images)

“I think it’s something that did get brought up in the media, about leadership at this club – but for sure, it’s the best leadership group I’ve been involved in at a club,” Maguire told the UTD Podcast.

“We have a lot of leaders in the dressing room, a lot of senior pros. And you don’t have to be a senior pro to be a leader.

“Axel [Tuanzebe] is a leader, in the ways that he works and speaks in the dressing room. And he’s only a young boy, he’s still learning his trade – I’m sure he’ll go on to have an unbelievable career.

“I think we have a lot of leaders. There’s Bruno [Fernandes], who has come in and made a massive impact at the club, results-wise but also off the field.

“Nemanja [Matic], Juan [Mata], David [De Gea] – they’ve been at the club a while now. There’s definitely a lot of leaders in the dressing room.”