Varane praises Ten Hag for changing Man Utd captaincy

*Arsenal - Man Utd: 4am on Sunday, July 23, Hanoi time.

"Ten Hag wants the team to have character and be a leader, so he has to show that," Varane told ESPN as he and Man Utd prepared for a friendly against Arsenal in the US. "Ten Hag is not afraid to make such decisions and take responsibility. That's what we expect from the coach."

The French midfielder said Ten Hag knew exactly what he wanted and showed his determination to change the face of Man Utd from day one. Varane emphasized that he and his teammates clearly understand the intention and have a good relationship with the Dutch coach.

Since succeeding Ralf Rangnick in the summer of 2022, Ten Hag has made many tough decisions, such as punishing Cristiano Ronaldo, not renewing David de Gea and most recently stripping Maguire's captaincy for professional reasons.

Maguire played 107 games in just his first two seasons at Man Utd, when he was the mainstay of the team. But the England midfielder's form has declined since Euro 2020, with confusing mistakes in defense. Last season, he also played 31 games but was often substituted, only the fifth choice for center back after Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof and Luke Shaw.

On July 20, the Man Utd website announced that Bruno Fernandes became the official captain of the club for the 2023-2024 season.

According to Varane, the 53-year-old coach's decision shows that he wants to build a strong team, which is evidenced by the recruitment of Casemiro and Lisandro Martinez because of their influence both on and off the pitch. "Man Utd need players with quality and personality," added Varane. "If you want to win big titles, the club needs to have that kind of character. The difference between a good team and a top team is sometimes something mentally. We need to trust, decide and the character of the players is important."

The 30-year-old midfielder believes the arrival of two rookies Mason Mount and Andre Onana will help the club get closer to challenging the reigning Premier League champions Man City. "We want to fight for every title," insisted Varane. "That's the club's expectation of growing, being more consistent and fighting for the top. I feel more confident in this dressing room. In a good way, not arrogant, but confident in quality and being able to win big titles."

On the afternoon of July 22, Washington time, Man Utd continued the US tour with a match against Arsenal at MetLife Stadium, New Jersey.