Manchester United head coach Erik ten Hag has branded Harry Maguire "an important player" and challenged the centre-back to fight for a spot in the team next season.

The 30-year-old was recently stripped of the captain's armband at Old Trafford, with Bruno Fernandes becoming the permanent skipper for the 2023-24 campaign.

Maguire only started eight Premier League matches last season, and he continues to be heavily linked with a move away from the club during the current market.

West Ham United and Newcastle United are both said to be keen on the England international, but a recent report claimed that Ten Hag wanted to keep the defender for the coming season.

The Dutchman has now addressed Maguire's situation and claimed that the decision to take the armband away from him could help the former Sheffield United youngster regain his best form.

"I think everyone can understand that it is, for a player, a disappointment but it can also work out very good for the team and for Harry," Ten Hag told reporters during his press conference on Friday.

"Harry is an important player. We have four centre-backs, we need four centre-backs minimum, maybe one extra. We saw last season we play so many games so we are really pleased to have Harry in our squad."

Ten Hag was then quizzed on how taking the armband away from Maguire could be a positive.

"Because not any more more captaincy, so less responsibility in that perspective but we need more than 11 players, we need that competition. He can fight himself in the team, he has the potential, I have said it often," said the Dutchman ahead of Saturday's clash with Arsenal.

"So it is up to him to get this position and now he can focus more on his role but as a centre-back, you have to communicate, you have to organise because that is one of the areas you have to perform as a centre-back.

"The same as a keeper it is about prevention. You have to be called into action."

Maguire is arguably the fifth-choice centre-back at Old Trafford, with Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof all ahead of him, while Luke Shaw was also picked over him in central defence last season.

The Englishman is expected to be involved in Saturday's pre-season friendly with Arsenal, although Varane and Martinez could again get the nod from the first whistle, with the first-choice centre-backs now fit and available after injury problems in the second half of last term. body check tags ::