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Ashley Young & Paul Pogba in line to receive captaincy roles for the 2019/20 season

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Solskjaer set to reward duo

Last season was one to forget for everyone involved with Manchester United. The Red Devils failed to win any silverware and finished in sixth position which means that there'll be no Champions League football at Old Trafford next term.

The underperformance from United saw Jose Mourinho sacked back in December and replaced by club legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The Norwegian made a blistering start back to life in Manchester but ended the season poorly, rounding off the campaign with 8 defeats in their last 12 games - one of which was to already relegated Cardiff on the final day.

The size of the job on his hands restoring Manchester United as one of the countries most dominant forces is an absolutely colossal one & this summer will be pivotal to it.

He has some massive decisions to make and it appears that he's close to one surrounding the captaincy at the moment. Club captain Antonio Valencia is set to end his 10 year stay at Old Trafford this summer which means a new one needs to be appointed, step forward Ashley Young..

Ashley Young
Ashley Young skippered United for the majority of last season in the absence of Antonio Valencia, but if United sign a new right-back he's likely to find his game time limited

The winger turned full-back turned centre-half is a divisive figure amongst the clubs fan base, with many of them calling for him to be dropped from the side and used more so as a squad player.

The Times are reporting that the former England international will be appointed as the new club captain, whilst another controversial but influential member of the squad, Paul Pogba, is being considered as deputy/vice captain.

The Red Devils are expected to be very active in the transfer market and a move for a new right back is expected to be near the top of their list, with Crystal Palace youngster Aaron Wan-Bissaka strongly linked. If they can pull it off, it would mean Young's playing time would be limited and more responsibility would be put on the shoulders of Pogba - so it's a huge decision.

There's been plenty of speculation surrounding the future of the World Cup winner with many United fans claiming they want the club to cash in on him and Real Madrid reportedly interested in his services. He's priced up as short as 4/5 to make the move to La Liga with SkyBet so it's certainly one to keep your eye on this summer.

More questions surrounding Pogba arise

Many have expected this season to have been the last that we see Paul Pogba in a Manchester United shirt. The French international is evidently a fantastic player but the toxic atmosphere surrounding the club is thought to be influenced slightly by the 26 year-old.

Jose Mourinho had many public spats with him and despite his impressive stats from the previous campaign, many United fans appear to be done with him. So it may come as a bit of a surprise that he's set to be offered the deputy captaincy.

He used to hold this honour before Mourinho stripped him of it last term and if he does choose to stay put and accept the role, he needs to step up to the plate and lead this new Manchester United era by example - putting his differences aside.

Alexis Sanchez Paul Pogba
Alexis Sanchez's ridiculous contract has caused plenty of tension at Old Trafford

The arrival of Alexis Sanchez as the clubs highest paid player was something of a turning point for him, especially with the Chilean flopping like he has. But it isn't just Pogba who's been unsettled by his outrageous contract, David De Gea has asked for a mega deal whilst Ander Herrera is leaving because they won't meet his demands.

Pogba's situation has alerted Real Madrid, who're coached by France legend Zinedine Zidane and they're keen for him to engineer a move to the Bernabeu by handing in a transfer request. Solskjaer is clearly worried by the prospect of losing arguably his best player so by offering him the captaincy, it's clearly an incentive for him to stay - whether or not this happens is another matter.

But it's something that's been in the offing for a while, back in January when things were going well for United his leadership qualities where praised by Solskjaer. "He's a leader. You see the personality. He loves playing football. He’s a larger-than-life character. When the performances come as well, that marries together as a good leader and you see what it meant to him winning the World Cup. So for me, yes, he’s captain material."

Also if he was to leave after being offered it, it could have a big effect on the remaining United players so it's a delicate situation that has to be handled with care.

Twitter Reacts

Manchester United fans clearly appear to have lost faith in their record signing and they haven't been afraid to have their say on the matter on Twitter: