Harry Maguire could be in danger of losing his place in the Manchester United starting line-up if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is eventually replaced by Antonio Conte.
The Italian manager has been tipped to succeed the Norwegian as his position at the theatre of dreams comes under threat.
And if he does land the job, it’s claimed the former Inter Milan head coach has already identified up to nine players he wants to build his team around.
Ronaldo, Paul Pogba, Raphael Varane, Alex Telles, Bruno Fernandes, Anthony Martial, Jadon Sancho, Mason Greenwood and Rashford would be part of his plans at the club, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.
But that could mean players like Maguire and full-backs Luke Shaw and Aaron Wan-Bissaka could find it hard to keep their place in the team.
Maguire has been one of the Red devils’ most consistent performers under Solskjaer but has suffered a dip in form this campaign, partly due to injuries.
Solskjaer rushed him back from his most recent issue against Leicester City – a decision that backfired as the defender was at fault for two goals United conceded during the defeat.
The England international didn’t cover himself in glory against Liverpool either after a mix-up with Luke Shaw for Naby Keita’s opening goal as Jurgen Klopp’s side secured an emphatic win over their rivals.
United have been plagued with defensive problems all season and it would be unfair put the blame on Maguire alone, but it seems Conte isn’t convinced.
Harry Maguire’s role as skipper has been reportedly questioned by one United player during clear-the-air discussions in the wake of their loss by Liverpool.
One member of the team went as far as to question whether Solskjaer’s decision to appoint Maguire as captain in 2020 was the correct one, reports The Times.
Former United player Teddy Sheringham concedes Maguire is having a tough time and believes he is not acting like a “proper captain.”
He told The Sun: “Maguire is having a ragged time. Once they went 2-0 down, the game plan and cohesion went out of the window, people started doing their own thing and it became chaos. Everyone was at sixes and sevens.
“That’s where you need to keep your head and you need a good skipper who tells everyone, ‘Calm down, we’ll get back into it’. “It doesn’t look like there is a proper captain out there leading and demanding they stay in their structure.”
