Aston Villa allowed Leander Dendoncker to return to Anderlecht on a loan deal with an option to buy late in the summer transfer window.
The defender immediately captained the Jupiler Pro League side and had the armband for five games. This didn’t change immediately after David Hubert was appointed as Brian Riemer’s successor on September 19th.
The Aston Villa man hasn’t captained the Belgian club since November and is unlikely to do so again under Hubert.
That’s according to the Anderlecht manager, and he revealed this during a detailed chat with Het Laatste Nieuws.
Jan Vertonghen is the captain at Anderlecht, but the former Tottenham Hotspur star has been sidelined with an injury since August. Despite this, Hubert claims the centre-back is the leader at the club.
The manager then went on to claim Ludwig Augustinsson, Mats Rits and Thorgan Hazard could captain Anderlecht in Vertonghen’s absence.
HLN then asked Hubert about the Aston Villa owned player and why he was demoted from the captain’s role.
Responding to that, he said: “The captain’s armband is sometimes a tool. To strengthen someone in a certain position. Or to allow someone to evolve further. But that doesn’t work for everyone. Sometimes a captain’s armband backfires.
“If someone is so honest about that, and I’m not talking so much about Leander, it’s a sign of courage and boldness. And of putting the team first.”
The Anderlecht boss then went on to explain the demotion would benefit Dendoncker and help him focus on his own performances.
“Look, when your regular captain is absent, choices have to be made. And some of them were made when I wasn’t there. For me, it’s not an issue,” Hubert explained.
“Leander and I talked about it. We made that choice together, aiming to get the best out of everyone. Not forgetting that expectations were sky-high when Leander returned last summer, while physically he came from afar. If that’s how you can then maybe take the pressure off a bit…”
