Where will Bruno Fernandes place in the future? Manchester United's greatest-ever captains - ranked

The fact that Valencia was chosen as captain at the start of the 2018-19 season was an indictment of the lack of experience and character within the squad at the time. The Ecuadorian was not comfortable speaking English, and while he had been a loyal and reliable club servant, he was hardly a galvanising figure.

Getting the armband seemed to curse the winger-turned-full-back and he made just six appearances that season due to persistent knee injuries. It proved to be his last campaign with United.

Young had one of the shortest spells of any United captain. He was named skipper in August 2019 after Valencia's departure as a reward for his loyal service to the club.

However, despite being a big part of the team and starting the majority of matches, he was sold to Inter in January 2020, meaning he had less than five months as captain. Young's sojourn to Italy was a great success as he won the Serie A title along with former United team-mates Matteo Darmian, Alexis Sanchez and Romelu Lukaku.

Maguire was named United captain by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer five months after his £80 million ($102m) move from Leicester City following the departure of Young.

He was given unexpected extra responsibility when the UK entered lockdown due to the emergence of the coronavirus and drew admiration for his leadership during that difficult time, including encouraging his team-mates to donate to charity while personally delivering food parcels to the elderly.

Maguire also led the team on the pitch, helping them finish fourth and second in the Premier League as well as reaching the Europa League final, although injury prevented him from playing in the showpiece.

But he badly struggled in the 2021-22 campaign as United registered their worst points total in Premier League history and he only made eight league starts last season under Ten Hag, leading to the Dutch manager to strip him of the captaincy.

Rooney was on the brink of leaving United after being dropped by Ferguson in 2013, but David Moyes ensured he got a new contract with the club one year later. The following season, after the departure of Vidic, Rooney was named captain by Louis van Gaal.

Rooney's time as captain coincided with his decline as a player, but he still had plenty of highlights while wearing the armband, including becoming the club's all-time top scorer in 2017 when he struck his 250th goal, against Stoke City.

Rooney also lifted the 2016 FA Cup, as well as the League Cup and Europa League the following year before leaving to return to boyhood club Everton.

The Serbian was a surprise choice to inherit the armband from Gary Neville in 2011 as Ferguson overlooked Ryan Giggs, Rooney and Rio Ferdinand in favour of the defender. Vidic captained the team to the Premier League title that same year as well as in the Champions League final defeat to Barcelona.

It was under his leadership that United threw away their advantage to surrender the 2011-12 title to Manchester City, but the team compensated the following year by racing to the title, their last under Ferguson.

Vidic's final season at the club was the nightmare campaign under Moyes, but he remains one of United fans' most beloved players of this century.

Manchester-born Byrne was United's first great captain in the post-war era and came through the club's youth ranks to become one of the most important players until his tragic death in the Munich air disaster in 1958.

Byrne was one of the oldest players in the team known as the Busby Babes, and in his first year as captain the team swept to the 1955-56 First Division title. That meant he led United into the European Cup for the first time (becoming the first English team to enter the newly-created competition) and the Red Devils made it to the semi-finals before losing to eventual winners Real Madrid.

United retained the league title and entered Europe again, with Byrne leading them out away to Red Star Belgrade in what would prove to be his and many of his team-mates' final match. Byrne was one of eight players to perish in the disaster and, unbeknown to him, his wife had just learned she was pregnant.

Law was nicknamed the 'King of the Stretford End' and has a statue in the second tier of the stand as well as one outside Old Trafford along with his old team-mates George Best and Bobby Charlton.

The Scottish striker, who is United's third-highest scorer of all-time behind Charlton and Rooney, became club captain in 1965 and his period as skipper coincided with the 1968 European Cup triumph. However, he was unable to play in the final due to injury, meaning Charlton lifted the trophy instead.

"For a decade Martin Buchan was arguably United's most influential player," says the Scottish defender's entry on the club's official website. The 1970s was a dark decade for United and witnessed their shock relegation from the top flight in 1974, but Buchan stayed loyal and helped lead the team's revival.

Buchan became captain just after United had been relegated, leading the Red Devils straight back to the First Division the following season. He then skippered United to win the FA Cup in 1977, famously beating Liverpool in the final to wreck their arch rivals' ambitions of winning the treble.

Charlton became captain by accident when Law got injured late in the 1967-68 season, but the timing was poignantly fitting. Charlton, one of the survivors of the Munich air disaster, got to lift the European Cup little more than 10 years after the tragedy, scoring in extra-time in the 4-1 win over Benfica at Wembley.

Charlton was made permanent captain the following season over Law and he would go on to become United's all-time appearance maker with 758 matches and top scorer with 249 goals (he was later overtaken by Ryan Giggs and Rooney, respectively). However, he would lift no more trophies as United went into a period of decline after the high of European success.

United never finished higher than eighth in the league with Charlton as captain, and in his final season they narrowly avoided relegation, coming 18th. The following season, when George Graham succeeded Charlton as captain, the Red Devils did succumb to relegation.

Cantona changed United's history when he joined in the middle of the 1992-93 season and inspired the team to the first of four league titles and two FA Cups. United won a major trophy in every season Cantona was at the club with the exception of the 1994-95 campaign, missing half of that campaign after infamously kicking a Crystal Palace fan during a match.

That incident might have made Cantona look like an unsuitable captain in the eyes of some pundits, but the Frenchman came back stronger the next campaign, leading United to chase down Newcastle and win the 1995-96 title.

He wore the captain's armband in the 1996 FA Cup final and scored a stunning winning goal. He was the obvious choice to succeed Steve Bruce as skipper in 1996, but was only club captain for one season as the fire in his belly burned out and he retired from football at the age of 30.

Giggs was never officially named the club's captain and yet he wore the armband on many occasions and often in the biggest matches, including an FA Cup final and Champions League final. With Gary Neville absent for almost the entire 2007-08 season and large chunks of the other campaigns until he retired, Giggs was effectively captain for the best part of four seasons.

The Welshman was not a big talker or inspirational leader but led by example, developing into the team's most intelligent player, a versatile midfielder and even occasional full-back in his final few years.

Although he did not start the 2008 Champions League final, he came on and scored in the penalty shootout against Chelsea, lifting the trophy together with Ferdinand in Moscow. A year later, he led the team out in the 2009 Champions League final, but had an unhappy ending as United were outplayed by Barcelona.

Bruce became United's de facto captain when Bryan Robson's powers faded and he was officially named skipper in 1994. He is not remembered with the same fondness as Roy Keane or Cantona, but played his part in United's first wave of success in the 1990s.

Bruce was instrumental in United's first Premier League title win in 1993, scoring twice in the comeback win victory over Sheffield Wednesday at Old Trafford, sparking jubilant scenes that included Brian Kidd running on to the pitch and some infamous dad dancing from Ferguson.

The defender lifted a third title in his final season, but injury prevented him from playing in the FA Cup final.

No one understood what Manchester United meant to fans more than Neville, who supported the team long before he entered the youth system. He had only been captain for two months when he laid bare his passion for United by charging the length of the pitch to celebrate right in front of the visiting Liverpool fans after Ferdinand's winning goal at Old Trafford in 2006.

The right-back took the responsibility of being captain deadly seriously, and when he suffered a serious injury in 2007, he volunteered to give it up as he was not able to contribute properly. However, Ferguson refused, insisting Neville shared the armband with Giggs.

Neville's fitness struggles meant he was often on the bench in his final years as captain until retiring in the middle of the 2010-11 season after realising he was no longer capable of playing at the highest level. But there was no better ambassador for the club.

Robson became an instant hero to United fans by rejecting the chance to join Liverpool, then the dominant force in England football, to move to United instead and link up with his old boss Ron Atkinson. He joined the Red Devils in 1981 for a then British-record transfer fee, signing his contract on the Old Trafford pitch before a game against Wolves.

Robson became captain in his second season at United and led the team to two FA Cup triumphs in an otherwise dry decade, as well as inspiring the team to an enthralling comeback win over Barcelona in the UEFA Cup Winners Cup.

Nicknamed 'Captain Marvel' due to the inspirational effect he had on his team-mates, Robson played a huge part in the first two trophy wins under Ferguson, the 1990 FA Cup and 1991 Cup Winners Cup.

Injuries and age meant he was no longer a regular starter when the Premier League era began, but he fittingly lifted the trophy in 1993, ending United's 26-year wait to win an English top-flight title, and did so again the following year.

Keane's first season as captain was cut painfully short by a knee injury suffered against Leeds, but he came back even fitter and even more determined, inspiring United to win the treble in 1999.

The Irishman gave one of the best performances of any United player in history in the Champions League semi-final second leg victory at Juventus, even though it meant picking up a booking and getting suspended for the final.

Whether it was sticking up for Gary Neville against Patrick Vieira or chasing referee Andy D'Urso around Old Trafford, Keane always fiercely fought for United's cause. He could also be remarkably stubborn, such as refusing to speak to Teddy Sheringham for several years following a disagreement on a night out.

His memorable spell with United ended on a sour note after he was sacked by Ferguson following his infamous tirade on MUTV, but the club have never had such an inspirational or successful skipper.