Former Manchester United captain Patrice Evra has instructed Ruben Amorim to remove the armband from Bruno Fernandes and give it back to Harry Maguire.

Fernandes has been the Reds’ captain since July 2023, when Erik ten Hag decided to transfer the armband to the midfielder. The decision came after Maguire spent a lot of time on the sidelines during Ten Hag’s first season and the Portuguese stepped in as vice-captain.

After losing the armband, Maguire’s form has improved somewhat and he has regained his place in defense. His contract was due to expire in the summer, but Ruben Amorim revealed in his press conference on Friday that he had made use of Maguire’s one-year contract extension to keep him at the club until 2026.

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Explaining the decision, Amorim said: “Harry Maguire: (we) will exercise our option. I spoke to him this morning and told him he needs to improve his game on the pitch.”

“We need him very much and he also needs to improve as a leader because we all know the situation he had here but we need him very much at this moment so we will be happy to trigger the option for Harry. He (Maguire) has overcome his difficulties very well and if you look at our team, we are longing for leaders on the pitch.

“He’s a leader, he needs to improve that part, he needs to improve his game so we’re excited to move on with Harry.” After hearing the news on Friday, Evra responded on Instagram and insisted that Maguire be back as captain of the football club should be used.

“Give him back the armband!!!!” Evra wrote on the social media platform. “At least he has demonstrated resilience and leadership skills.”