WHEN the aeroplane ferrying Manchester United back home from the Carabao Cup final in February touched down on Ringway's rainsodden tarmac, Erik ten Hag, Harry Maguire and Bruno Fernandes were the first to emerge.
The club photographer was waiting and they were snapped on the stairs bridging the plane to the ground. The Carabao Cup trophy was holstered in the middle by Ten Hag and he stood with Maguire and Fernandes posing on either side.
Maguire, who made just a twominute cameo from the bench in the 2-0 victory against Newcastle, was only included in that photo and given the chance to lead the team up the Wembley stairs to collect the trophy out of courtesy.
The centre-back was the official club captain, but Fernandes had been the real leader in the dressing room all season. He wore the armband in the majority of fixtures and it always felt like it could be Maguire's last year at Old Trafford.
After the FA Cup final defeat in June, it was noticeable that Maguire gave Fernandes the green light to single-handedly lead the players up for their consolation medals, which 6 seemed like acceptance of the situation on his behalf.
This story is from the July 18, 2023 edition of Manchester Evening News.
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This story is from the July 18, 2023 edition of Manchester Evening News.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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