Ralf Rangnick has told Harry Maguire to step aside as club captain for the rest of the campaign, with Cristiano Ronaldo in line to take the armband, according to reports.
Maguire has suffered a huge drop in form this season, failing to reach the levels he showed during his first two years at Old Trafford after an £80m move from Leicester City in 2019.
Metro.co.uk claimed in November that Maguire was struggling with the burden of captaining United through such a tough campaign and his performances have hindered his ability to lead the group.
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Ronaldo’s arrival, too, has further marginalised Maguire, with many of the younger stars in the squad looking to the Portuguese superstar before they look to the former Hull City player.
The Mirror claim that Rangnick has sat down with both Maguire and Ronaldo to discuss the situation, and the possibility of the England star relinquishing the armband was spoken about.
Maguire wants to keep his role as captain but Ronaldo’s presence looms over him and the players feel a change of captaincy is ‘inevitable’.
Ronaldo has a big influence over the younger members of the squad, who idolise the former Real Madrid attacker. The likes of Rashford, Anthony Elanga, Jadon Sancho and Diogo Dalot are all part of a team that look up to Ronaldo.
The Red devils take on rivals Leeds at Elland Road on Sunday, with the club looking to build on their victory against Brighton.
Rangnick will address the media on Friday, when he’s expected to answer questions about Maguire’s role as captain.
