Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has said that he is "feeling refreshed and ready to go", with the defender looking ahead to the start of the 2022-23 campaign.
The England international was one of a number of Man United players to struggle last season, and there had been claims that he would have the armband taken away from him for the new campaign.
However, Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag confirmed on Monday that the 29-year-old would remain the team's skipper for next term, telling reporters: "Harry Maguire will be captain. He has been captain for more than a year. He has achieved a lot of success. I have no doubts about this issue."
Maguire has said that he has enjoyed "a good summer" and is feeling confident ahead of the new season, with the defender keen to move on from what was a tough 2021-22 campaign.
"I had a good summer, not too long, but I'm feeling refreshed and ready to go. It's great to see all the lads again, the staff, and obviously the new manager and his coaches as well. It's been a really exciting week, a really tough week [of training] but I'm looking forward to seeing what the future brings," Maguire told MUTV.
"Last season was a long, tough, difficult season but we've got to put it behind us now and look forward to the future under the new manager. We know we've got to improve on last season and we will do.
"We'll work hard. The lads have all come back in great shape. I got married in the summer so it was a good summer for me and I went and relaxed on my honeymoon with my wife so it was a great summer for me. I feel relaxed and refreshed and ready for a big season.
Maguire has also paid tribute to Steve McClaren, with the 61-year-old returning to Man United in a coaching capacity this summer to work closely with new head coach Ten Hag.
"Of course, Steve's got so much experience and he's had a lot of jobs around the world, [including] managing his country, so he's going to bring that Premier League experience and I'm sure he'll help along the way," the defender added.
"Obviously, the boss has brought him in and I think he'll help us in terms of that experience but of course we're willing to learn from all of the new coaches."
Maguire was also keen to hail the club's new signing Tyrell Malacia, who has arrived at Old Trafford from Feyenoord to boost the team's left-back options.
"Yeah, he's fitted in really well. He's come in with a big smile on his face and he's a really fit lad. He's only trained a couple of times so I'm sure he'll get used to playing under the new manager, like we all are. He's going to be a great addition for us. It's more competition for places and that's what we need at this club," he added.
Man United will open their pre-season with a clash against Liverpool in Bangkok on Tuesday, while they will face Melbourne Victory, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa in Australia as part of their preparations for next season.
Maguire, Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof are expected to remain at Old Trafford this summer, but Ten Hag is said to want another centre-back, with Ajax's Lisandro Martinez being strongly linked with a switch to the club.
Eric Bailly and Axel Tuanzebe are with the Man United squad in Thailand, but the duo could still leave the Red Devils before the end of the summer transfer window. body check tags ::
