WITH Wayne Rooney struggling to make the team and not even guaranteed to be at Old Trafford next season, Jose Mourinho has a tricky conundrum to resolve.
Namely, who will be the next captain of Manchester United.
Rooney was made club skipper by Louis van Gaal on arrival, as Nemanja Vidic moved to Inter Milan.
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Vice-captain Michael Carrick, 35, is another who is unlikely to play as regularly in the next campaign.
So who are the candidates to take over?
Chris Smalling
IS CURRENTLY third-choice captain — and possibly at least third-choice centre-back.
Smalling was superb in 2015 and became No.1 for Van Gaal and England.
But he had a massive dip in form towards the end of last season, which culminated in a sending-off in the FA Cup final.
This season, he has struggled to get into the United line-up due to injuries and less than stellar performances.
And, after being publicly criticised by Mourinho, his future at Old Trafford is far from certain.
David De Gea
AN EVER-PRESENT who now looks likely to have a long career ahead of him at United.
De Gea was close to leaving in the summer of 2015, but signed a new long-term contract — and he has continued to improve since then.
The Spaniard is a leader in the box and popular among his team-mates.
Many believe a goalkeeper shouldn’t be captain, but he can see all of the action in front of him.
He enjoys the responsibility of sweeping up behind his defence and is not afraid to let hi sfellow Reds know when they are falling short.
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Last ten official Manchester United captains
Wayne Rooney: 2014-present
Nemanja Vidic: 2011-2014
Gary Neville: 2005-2011
Roy Keane: 1997-2005
Eric Cantona: 1996-97
Steve Bruce: 1994-96*
Bryan Robson: 1982-94*
Ray Wilkins: 1982
Martin Buchan: 1975-82
Willie Morgan: 1973-75
*shared captaincy for two years
Ander Herrera
HAS become one of the mainstays in the United team — and a player with a bright future.
Herrera is a fan favourite, who appears to understand the club’s demands and philosophy.
He was in and out of the team under Van Gaal, but has now found his position.
The Spanish midfielder says the right things and is liked by his team-mates.
He is loving life under Mourinho and could potentially spend the rest of his career at Old Trafford.
Paul Pogba
THE world’s most-expensive footballer is starting to deliver.
Pogba’s next step must be to do it against one of the division’s better teams.
He accepts his worth to the team and now seems to thrive under the responsibility of being United’s star.
Pogba can be relied upon to get the best out his team-mates and is popping up with crucial goals.
At 23, he could have the armband for a few years to come.
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Phil Jones
COULD this in fact be his destiny after all?
After bursting onto the scene with commanding performances in his early United career, he failed to recover mentally from a dip in form — and suffered through injuries.
However, Mourinho has given him a new lease of life and he is enjoying a string of games for the first time in more than a year.
Jones was billed as the new Duncan Edwards and Bryan Robson upon arrival, and even showed his leadership qualities by consoling De Gea after a howler against West Brom on what was both of their debuts.
He is a vocal player who is desperate to prolong his United career.
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