With Nemanja Vidic’s departure to Inter, Manchester United is left without a captain. Patrice Evra – last season’s vice captain – has also moved on from Old Trafford, as have long-time club veterans Rio Ferdinand and Ryan Giggs (now the team’s assistant manager). So, Louis van Gaal is faced in his first campaign with the challenge of naming the next man to wear the armband. During this summer’s pre-season tour, various players such as Tom Cleverley, Chris Smalling and Darren Fletcher have been given the honour (none of whom, with the possible exception of Fletcher, are likely to be the actual skipper). On consideration, several interesting candidates present themselves for permanent captaincy.
Candidates for the Next United Captain
Wayne Rooney
Right now, any time the word captain is mentioned with relation to United, Wayne Rooney’s name seems to pop up. Rooney has been at Old Trafford since 2004, a span in which he’s made 307 appearances and scored 158 goals. At 28, Rooney’s just about in the prime of his career as a world-class footballer. He’s already the face and name most commonly associated with Manchester United, so it would make sense to see him permanently given the captaincy.
Last season, Rooney was (with the possible exception of David De Gea) United’s best (and hardest-working) player. In fact, fans’ sentiments would probably be almost unanimously in favour of him being given the armband if it weren’t for the fact that he’s tried several times to be transferred away from Manchester. That left quite a few people doubting his loyalty to the club. However, Rooney has made his intentions clear, stating “Of course I would like the captaincy, but it’s the manager’s decision who he chooses“.
Anyway, Rooney has the backing of United legend Paul Scholes, who recently said “He’s always struck me as the type who could be a captain and now is the perfect time to give him the responsibility I know he is capable of taking”. Scholes did say he thinks it’s more likely that Robin van Persie will be given the honour, but he (along with many fans) believes Rooney is most deserving. On that note, let’s move on to…
Robin van Persie
Van Persie is (despite injury concerns last season) one of the best strikers in the world. He proved this to the world last month in Brazil, scoring four goals for the Netherlands (one of which was this stunner). Now, it’s reasonable to say he’s the favourite to be made United’s captain. He’s the only player on the team who already has a relationship with Louis van Gaal – and a very good one at that. Van Gaal has spent the last two years as manager of the Dutch National Team, including the recent World Cup, in which they placed third. Van Persie captained that same team. Since Van Gaal is already bringing many of the tactics and formations he used with the Oranje to the Red Devils, many say he might as well bring over his skipper as well.
It would, to many, seem like the logical choice for Van Gaal to appoint RVP as United captain. One has to think he’d be a leading contender even without his connection to the manager. He’s 30 years old, and at this point has seen his fair share of success with both United and (somewhat) Arsenal.
The one main factor that could go against both Rooney and Van Persie is the benefits gained from having a captain in the middle of the park. It’s often beneficial for the skipper to command his troops from midfield, being able to see everything in front of him. Thus, there are a few players who’ll be behind the strikers to consider.
Juan Mata
Mata is the youngest player on this list. He’s only 26, and has only been with United since last January’s transfer window. However, almost immediately upon his arrival at the club, he appears to have struck up a great relationship with his teammates. He’s often seen with fellow Spaniards David De Gea and new signing Ander Herrera, as well as fellow Spanish-speaker Javier Hernandez. Mata is a fan favourite, and is very active on the internet through his blog. He appears to love playing for Manchester United, and is a very talented attacking midfielder.
Mata is probably not likely to be given a role with as much history as Man United’s captaincy, given his short tenure with the club. However, one has to think he’ll be in the conversation, at least. He’s an interesting option to consider.
Darren Fletcher
As mentioned above, Fletcher has already worn the armband for United this year, on the summer tour in America. He has been with the senior club since 2002, and previously was a member of the United youth squads (since he was 11). Fletcher is currently the captain for Scotland, as well.
Van Gaal could choose to go with Fletcher, seeing as he’s a midfielder who will track back a bit, able to control the play from behind the front of the lineup. However, it’s unlikely that Fletcher will be a regular starter – he certainly won’t play every match. It’s possible he’s being given his chance to wear the armband in the pre-season, because he won’t be wearing it during the season. Fletcher would probably make a good captain, but just won’t appear enough for United to be the skipper.
Verdict
People who are prone to gambling would be best advised to bet on Robin van Persie. Rooney is probably the best choice, but all the signs point to Van Gaal going with what he knows. All the other options (including those not mentioned, such as Michael Carrick or David De Gea) are interesting to consider, but it will ultimately come down to a decision between RVP and Rooney – and one has to think that Van Persie will win this one.
Although of course, at the end of the day, does it really matter?
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