Wait and see – Ruben Amorim leaves door open for Harry Maguire to take armband

Harry Maguire is in contention to wear the Manchester United armband again with club captain Bruno Fernandes suspended for Monday’s visit of Newcastle to Old Trafford.

Maguire was stripped of the United captaincy 18 months ago and succeeded by Fernandes after injuries and a loss of form saw the former Leicester defender fall out of favour with head coach Erik ten Hag.

But he has come back into the fold under Ten Hag’s replacement Ruben Amorim, who recently described Maguire as an “example” in the dressing room having started United’s last three Premier League matches.

With Fernandes serving a one-match ban following his red card against Wolves on Boxing Day, Maguire is vying to lead United out once more as the Red Devils look to end a run of three successive defeats.

Asked about the prospect of Maguire standing in for Fernandes, Amorim said at the weekend: “You will have to wait until the game and see the captain.”

United have lost to Bournemouth and Wolves in the league and been knocked out of the Carabao Cup by Tottenham in the last fortnight since their dramatic derby victory over Manchester City this month.

Amorim has won four and lost five of his 10 games in the United hot seat but Maguire believes an adjustment period was always likely with the Portuguese different in his approach to Ten Hag.

“It is not like they have come in and they have similar styles,” the England centre-back told Sky Sports. “They are the total opposite in terms of what they want and what they demand.

“The transition period is going to be tough. We all have great belief in the manager and all his coaching staff.

“It is frustrating. We want to win football matches and make our fans happy because so far this season it has not been good enough.

“I am sure things are going to turn around. He knows exactly what he needs to do to get this club back. He has come in and done everything he needs to do. He is really demanding.”

If United are in need of inspiration then they could look to their next opponents, who lay 12th on December 7 after a 4-2 defeat by Brentford, just one point and one place ahead of Amorim’s side.

However, they have won their last four fixtures in all competitions, scoring a total of 14 times and conceding just one goal, to climb to fifth in the table and reach the Carabao Cup semi-finals.

United are in 14th, eight points clear of the relegation zone but a dozen off the top four, and Maguire needs no reminding they have had a forgettable campaign to date.

“We are just doing everything we can to climb the table,” Maguire added. “We can’t really set a target at the moment because we are nowhere near good enough and nowhere near where we want to be in the league table.

“It is really disappointing what we have done until now. Everybody knows that. We know it is not good enough for this club.”