Three of Erik ten Hag's leadership group left Man United with one more uncertain

The former United boss spent two-and-a-half years at Old Trafford before he was dismissed in October 2024. He had formed the eight-player group ahead of his first season in charge at the club.

Ten Hag had made the eye-opening decision to strip Harry Maguire of the United captaincy before awarding it to Bruno Fernandes. Despite the Englishman no longer calling himself skipper, he was included in the leadership alongside Fernandes.

The Portuguese star has remained the club captain during the tenures of Ruben Amorim and Michael Carrick, while Maguire has once again become an important factor of the team under the current boss.

Among the group was a trio of now ex-United stars in David de Gea, Raphael Varane and Casemiro. The Brazilian is the latest departure from Manchester, having left at the end of his contract and subsequently joined Inter Miami as a free agent.

De Gea's exit after his 12-year tenure at the club saw him join Fiorentina in 2024 - after spending a year away from football. Raphael Varane spent three years at United with the World Cup winner consistently hampered by injury.

The Frenchman made just 68 league appearances during his spell before leaving in 2024 to join Serie A side Como on a two-year deal. However, Varane suffered a knee injury in his first match for the club and retired from football a year later without making another appearance.

The next trio of the leadership group all continue to ply their trade at United with Luke Shaw, Tom Heaton and Marcus Rashford among the senior players at the club. The left-back is United's longest-serving player among their current squad, having signed for the club in 2014.

Heaton's association with United goes further back as the goalkeeper joined their academy in 2002 before spending the first five years of his professional career at Old Trafford. He returned to the club in 2021 and provides a wealth of experience to share among the club's young core.

While Shaw and Heaton's future looks secure in Manchester, Rashford's career at his boyhood club has looked murky since leaving for Aston Villa in January 2025.

While he is expected to return to the club this summer after his loan spell at Barcelona, it's understood the club are open to selling him. However, a move has yet to come to fruition as no club has come forward with a proposition that matches United's valuation of the forward.

A move to the Catalan giants looked to be on the cards with Rashford playing an important role in their successful defence of the La Liga title. However, they declined to pay the £26m option in his contract, instead forking out almost £70m to sign his England team-mate Anthony Gordon earlier this summer.

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