The ongoing woes for Harry Maguire persist at Manchester United, as the experienced defender finds himself overlooked in favor of backup goalkeeper Tom Heaton. This comes after he had already been stripped of his captaincy.

Erik ten Hag Once Again Excludes Harry Maguire from Manchester United Captaincy (Image: Getty Images)

Erik ten Hag has chosen to overlook Harry Maguire once more, denying him the Manchester United captaincy.

The center-back, who has fallen out of favor, lost the armband last month ahead of the new season, having played a more limited role in the previous season. Portuguese playmaker Bruno Fernandes took over the captaincy, a decision that was largely embraced by the majority of fans for its boldness.

However, Ten Hag has escalated the snub by appointing goalkeeper Tom Heaton as the captain for the pre-season friendly against Athletic Club in the absence of Fernandes.

This unexpected decision from the Dutchman surprised many fans, considering both Maguire and Heaton were included in the starting lineup for Sunday’s match in Dublin.

Even those who have been most critical of Maguire found it astonishing that he was bypassed for the role of vice-captain, given his experience in leading the team.

One Twitter user expressed, “Ain’t no way Tom Heaton is captain, man. Feel so bad for Maguire,” while another tweeted, “Heaton CAPTAIN. Maguire really did get demoted.”

A third person added, “Tom Heaton captain over Maguire. ETH is ruthless, and I love it.”

Tom Heaton Assumes Captaincy for Man Utd Against Athletic Club (Image: Getty Images)

Others joined the conversation, commenting: “Tom Heaton getting the Captain’s armband over Harry Maguire. Have to feel for the lad now,” and: “Ten Hag even gave the armband to Heaton over Maguire, nah bro, the disrespect.”

Ten Hag’s team has experienced a mixed pre-season so far. Following a 2-0 victory over Leeds in Oslo, they traveled to Edinburgh to face Lyon in mid-July, with Donny van de Beek scoring the lone goal of the match.

The Red Devils commenced their American tour by stunning Premier League rivals Arsenal with another 2-0 triumph. However, they suffered a 3-1 defeat to League Two side Wrexham and a 2-0 loss to Real Madrid. July concluded with a 3-2 loss to Borussia Dortmund in Las Vegas.