Manchester United: Who Captains A Rudderless Ship?

What defined the great Manchester United sides of the 1990s and 2000s was the presence of leaders across the fields. Schmeichel. Giggs. Keane. Ferdinand. Rooney. Ronaldo. Irwin. Pallister. Vidic. Neville. I could go on and on, and on and on!

Unfortunately, the current generation of Manchester United pretenders cannot be accused of having a spine. Like a throwback to Liverpool’s Spice Boys and Arsene Wenger’s Talented Orphanage circa. 2005-2011, the men tasked with getting the Red Devils back to the top are just not blessed with the personalities to seize the moment by its neck. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will announce the club’s captain very soon, and I’m sad to say that his choices are limited. With this in mind, here’s a look at who will likely wear the captain’s armband for the 2019/20 season:

David de Gea

One of the longest serving players in the team, de Gea has been the best player at the club since Sir Alex Ferguson retired. He has saved United on so many occasions; leading from the front as the last line of defence, so it’s only fair that he be Solskjaer’s first choice as captain. His loyalty cannot be questioned, as he could/should/would have left Old Trafford long ago in quite a few instances, with a misunderstanding involving a fax machine saving the club’s bacon at the beginning of the 2015/16 when Real Madrid were odds on to snap him up. During that time, he became the world’s best goalkeeper, an incredible achievement considering the decline Manchester United found itself – and still finds itself – in. Anyone who can work hard enough to become one of the planet’s very best in the midst of this mediocrity deserves some kind of reward. Also, after an uncharacteristically average 2018/19 season, perhaps the captain’s armband can help de Gea focus again and return to the top of the glovemen’s pile…

Victor Lindelof

The Iceman, as Lindelof has come to be known, is comfortably the best and most consistent defender at the club. It takes remarkable concentration to remain as composed as he is while having to contend with hazards like Phil Jones, Chris Smalling and Eric Bailly beside you in the heart of defence. This shows very good progress from the early days when Jose Mourinho brought him into the fold in 2017, during which the pace of the game in England tended to catch him off guard, compounded by his tentative nature as he tried to adapt to this and the sheer physicality. Lindelof looks like he will have a long and distinguished career at Manchester United, and should be the rock around which the defence should be built. If a more imposing defender is installed next to him – here’s looking at Harry Maguire or Kalidou Koulibaly – the team will be set defensively for a long, long time. The Iceman just reeks of captaincy material, and has the potential to both marshal the defence and lead a rudderless group from the back. If he does not get the captaincy, he is a certain to become the vice-captain in my eyes.

Paul Pogba

This is a very tough one. Pogba was made captain by Jose Mourinho at the start of last season, but the two fell out horribly by December, precipitating the Special One’s ignominious exit. Pogba’s behavior during that time was deplorable as he was the ringleader of the player revolt against the manager, resulting in the captaincy being sensibly passed on to co-management between Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young once Solskjaer began his tenure. He is one of the best players on the planet when he is in the mood, and I reckon Mourinho thought that by making him captain of the world’s most popular football team, this responsibility would inspire him onto greater, Ballon d'Or-winning heights. Alas, this did not work out, and now we also have to contend with the conjecture that Pogba tried to force a move away from the club, which will cause Solskjaer much disquiet. In my opinion, the ship has sailed with regards to him ever becoming club captain again. The only other way this could happen is if he was made captain with the intention of keeping him happy, which is an appalling motivation that should never be considered!

Nemanja Matic

The Serb is one of the senior players in the squad, and would have been a shoo-in not long ago. But an alarmingly extended dip in form and the rise Scott McTominay threatens his very place in the starting line up, so it would not make sense to make someone who can’t guarantee his spot in the matchday squad the captain. However, stranger things have happened, so I won’t rule him out.

Ashley Young

As the season crumbled around the team at the backend of last season, Ashley Young was made captain in Antonio Valencia’s absence. Try as we might have done to talk up his leadership qualities, he should not have been anywhere near that team! His days at this level are over, and the long goodbye began for him as soon as Aaron Wan-Bissaka joined United in June. However, the fullback composition of the team suggests that he will still be involved in some capacity, though he will be below Wan-Bissaka, Luke Shaw and Diogo Dalot in the pecking order. It will be a huge shock if he hangs onto the captaincy going into the new season, and it won’t be a popular decision either.