There is no Tangible Reason to Strip Maguire of United Captaincy, says Rangnick
Oviri Kelvin
Manchester United coach, Ralf Rangnick says he does not see any reason to strip Harry Maguire of the club’s captaincy despite the player performing below expectations.
Rangnick noted that Maguire in the last two games, against Southampton and Burnley respectively, has performed below-par raising concern over the continued retention of the player as the captain of the team.
The United interim boss said that though Maguire has had some ‘weaker moments’, it does not necessitate the call to strip him of the captaincy.
A section of the displeased fans of Manchester United have scrutinised defender Maguire over his recent lacklustre performances and are calling on Rangnick to withdraw the captain armband from him.
Rangnick said, “In the past two games, yeah he had some weaker moments, against Southampton and when we conceded the goal at Burnley, but he’s our captain and I don’t see any reason to change that.”
The call to retrieve the captain armband from Maguire intensified after United’s 1-1 draw against Southampton at Old Trafford sparked up supporters’ rage.
However, the interim Boss continues to downplay the request to drop the 28 years old defender as the team’s leader noting that the reason is not tangible to effect it.
Rangnick, responding to the media, said, “I think when he came back after his injury he did extremely well. He had a very good performance, a very good game against West Ham.
Read Also: Uche Ogbodo and Tonto Dikeh: The Cat and Mouse Race Continues
“In the past two games, yeah he had some weaker moments, against Southampton and when we conceded the goal at Burnley, but he’s our captain and I don’t see any reason to change that,” he added.
Maguire who signed for United in the winter window of January 2020 at a world-record fee of £80m from Leicester, was handed the captaincy of the team by the former United boss Ole Gunnar Solskaer, five months after joining the club.
More so, the United interim boss stated that Maguire who has made 132 appearances for the club needs more time to fit into the club’s style of play.
He said, “He’s a player who has to develop, get better, like all the other players.
“The way that we are playing now is new also to him because in the English national team he was used to playing in a back three and here at Manchester United, in most cases a back four, but still not being as proactive, not with that kind of rest defence always being on the front foot when we are trying to defend.
“This is something also new to him and it will also take some time for him to get used to that, to get adjusted to that,” he added.
Maguire who recorded a total of 166 professional appearances for Sheffield United, graduated from its youths system in 2011. During his stead at the club, he won the player of the year three times consecutively and also feature in the PFA Team of the year for league one.
