Former United boss Erik ten Hag appointed Fernandes permanent captain in July 2023, replacing Maguire in a move that was welcomed by supporters.
Fernandes, Premier League and United Player of the Year last season as he led the Red Devils back to the Champions League, admitted this week that he felt awkward replacing Maguire.
Maguire understood the call
In an interview with LIFEJACKET, the Portuguese star revealed that Maguire was calm and understood why he was stripped of the captaincy.
"To be honest, (when) I got asked if I wanted to be captain of the club, it was a bit awkward for me because obviously I hadn't spoken to Harry about it.
"But he already knew it before me, so I think the manager spoke with him before speaking with me. So he was very good; he came and talked to me about it, and he said that if he had to lose the armband, it would go to someone like me.
"So that made me a little bit more relaxed about the situation, also because me and him had a very close relationship before because he was already captain, I was captain when he wasn't there."
He went on to say “he deserves that respect in terms of everything he's done for the club and everything he's done also for me since I came to the club."
Not much changed for Fernandes
Fernandes went on to say the only real difference is the amount of media commitments as he was already a major voice in the United side.
"I haven't changed the way I behave around people or the way I treat people," he added. "Because I think the main thing always has to be respect between the people you work with, towards you and you towards them.
"And it doesn't change by you being the captain. It doesn't make you any bigger than anyone else, so it's just an armband that gives you responsibility in certain moments that you have to make decisions on behalf of others. But that's the only thing and you can't step on top of anyone just because you've got the armband."