Jose Mourinho Wants One Of David De Gea Or Nemanja Matic To Become Next Captain

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho will reportedly name one of David de Gea or Nemanja Matic as the next captain once Michael Carrick hangs up his boots at the end of the season. The former England international has sparingly been used over the course of the campaign and he has recently announced that he would be retiring from the game in order to step into coaching with the Old Trafford outfit.

According to The Mirror, Mourinho has made up a two-man shortlist to replace Carrick as the next captain and this does not include Antonio Valencia. The Ecuador international has been the Red Devils’ skipper this season whenever Carrick has been absent but there are supposedly concerns over the right-back’s age which may restrict his participation for the club in the future.

As a result, De Gea and Matic have been underlined as the prime candidates for the role with the pair likely to remain at the club for a lengthier period of time. Mourinho has already confirmed that De Gea won’t be leaving Old Trafford during the summer and the Portuguese may seek to convince the Spaniard into a new long-term deal by rewarding him with the captaincy.

On the other hand, Matic has been a solid performer for the Mancunian giants since his summer move from Stamford Bridge and the Serbian could be an ideal choice, should Mourinho decide on having an outfield player as the next skipper of the side. Regardless of what happens, United are expected to reinforce the squad once more in the summer and there appears a particular focus on the full-back positions this time around.

Both Ashley Young and Valencia will have turned 33 before the start of the 2018/19 season but Mourinho is seemingly looking at younger but experienced recruits who can seamlessly integrate into the first-team squad.