Sports

No reason to strip Harry Maguire of Man Utd captaincy ― Ralf Rangnick

Manchester United interim manager, Ralf Rangnick, has said there is no need to strip Harry Maguire of the club captaincy despite admitting he has seen “some weaker moments” from the defender in recent matches.

Maguire has come under scrutiny for several below-par performances this season and a section of Manchester United supporters have suggested the armband should be taken away from him.

Criticism of the 28-year-old intensified over the weekend as the Red Devils surrendered a 1-0 lead for the third game in a row to draw 1-1 against Southampton at Old Trafford.

However, Ralf Rangnick, while speaking on the development, said there is no reason to change his official leader on the pitch.

He 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.

“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 manager added that it will take time for Maguire to adjust to a new way of playing.

“He’s a player who has to develop, get better, like all the other players,” Rangnick said.

According to Skysports, Maguire was named Manchester United captain in January 2020 by previous boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, five months after he moved to Old Trafford in a world-record £80m transfer from Leicester.

The England defender has made 132 appearances for the club.

TheStar