David De Gea was captain for the victory against Kristiansund.

Ole set to choose Reds skipper for 2019/20

Thursday 01 August 2019 09:58

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revealed he's close to selecting his Manchester United captain, with a number of candidates for the role.

Speaking at a press conference after the 1-0 victory over Kristiansund at the Ullevaal Stadium, the manager was asked whether David De Gea, who wore the armband for the first 60 minutes, would get the responsibility on a permanent basis.

Club captain Antonio Valencia has departed and joined L.D.U. Quito, prompting the need for a new appointment, although Ashley Young, who skippered the side for the final half-hour in Oslo, regularly took on the leadership duties last term.

Ashley Young was captain for the pre-season victory against Tottenham in Shanghai.

"We've got different captain types," explained the boss. "There are vocal leaders and players like David, who has merit with what he's done and he'll play the majority of the games.

"We'll announce something soon."

De Gea has been at the club since 2011 and been named the Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year on four occasions, while Young is a real presence in the dressing room, and joined United in the same year as the Spaniard.

Others to have captained the team during Ole's reign include influential midfielder Paul Pogba, in the Emirates FA Cup tie against Wolves last season. 

During Tour 2019, Nemanja Matic led the team from the start for the first time in the International Champions Cup tie against Inter Milan and has the authority and presence required, while Juan Mata, who extended his stay with the Reds by signing fresh terms in the summer, has also been skipper and helped inspire the younger attacking players around him.

Nemanja Matic led the team out for the ICC encounter against Inter Milan.

There are plenty of candidates for leading the side and, as has often been suggested, there needs to be numerous captains on the pitch and not just the man wearing the armband.

Whatever the manager's decision, it is set to be confirmed in the very near future.

Reading this in our app? If not, you might miss some exclusive features not found on ManUtd.com. Download the Official App here.

 

Recommended: