Harry Maguire will continue to captain Manchester United for the remainder of the season, interim manager Ralph Ranik confirmed on Friday following reports of a dressing room power struggle with Cristiano Ronaldo. Maguire’s poor form has played a major role in United’s struggles this season. The world’s most expensive defender has reportedly felt influenced by Ronaldo, a claim Maguire has denied, with Rangnick insisting his status as captain was never questioned. “It’s absolute nonsense. I’ve never spoken to the players about the potential change of captaincy,” Rangnick told a pre-match press conference on Sunday’s trip to Leeds.
“It’s never been a problem for me, I decide who becomes the captain, so I have no reason to talk to other people about it.
“Harry Maguire is our captain and he will remain our captain until the end of the season.”
Maguire was captained by then manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in January 2020, just five months after Leicester joined the club for £80m ($109m).
“I’ve seen a lot of false reports about this club but this time is different,” Maguire wrote on Twitter.
“I’m not going to start posting everything that’s written, but I have to figure this out. We’re united and focused on Sunday.”
Earlier this week, Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford also denied claims that Ronaldo broke up in the dressing room.
A 2-0 win over Brighton on Tuesday put United back in fourth place in the Premier League, enough to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
But Arsenal, Tottenham and Wolves have games on hand to get them over the Red Devils.
Ronaldo was an outspoken supporter of Maguire after returning to United for a second spell in August, but his support is said to have waned throughout the season.
The two players are believed to have spoken to Rangnick about the possibility of Ronaldo taking over as captain so Maguire can focus on improving his erratic form.
However, it is understood that the England centre-back is concerned about the possibility of permanently losing the captain.
While Maguire has made a series of high-profile mistakes this season, Ronaldo’s form has also taken a notable dip.
There have been multiple reports that Ronaldo was unimpressed by Rangnick’s management style. The striker stomped his feet in an exchange with the German after being substituted at Brentford in January.
The 37-year-old went six straight without a goal before finally returning to the top scorers against Brighton in midweek.
The win ended a dismal run of three games in a row as United lost their lead in the first half.
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