Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Maguire are believed to be in a ‘power struggle’ over the Manchester United captaincy as Ralf Rangnick has been hit with a ‘fresh crisis.’
Ronaldo, 37, ended his six-match goalscoring drought on Tuesday in United’s 2-0 win over 10-men Brighton at Old Trafford.
However, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner is reportedly unhappy with United’s form and has been linked with an exit in the summer if the club fail to achieve top four.
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Ronaldo, who is under contract until 2023, has scored an impressive 15 times in 27 appearances for United since the club re-signed him from Juventus last summer.
The Daily Mirror reports that the former Juventus superstar and current United skipper Maguire have been ‘embroiled in a power struggle.’
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According to the newspaper, Rangnick has been involved in talks with both Ronaldo and Maguire over the defender ‘relinquishing the armband for the rest of the season.’
Maguire, who was signed for a staggering £80m in 2019, has come under scathing criticism over his position as United captain and over his poor run of form.
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However, the 28-year-old United defender is ‘reluctant’ to step down as captain over the ‘fear’ of losing his position as the club’s permanent skipper.
It is reported that Maguire feels ‘increasingly undermined’ by Ronaldo’s presence in the United dressing room and his ‘huge influence’ on the younger players.
Rangnick, who will step down as interim manager at the end of the season, has tasked Ronaldo with mentoring the younger players in the United squad.
However, the aforementioned move has ‘led to further friction’ with Maguire, who reportedly feels his authority has been ‘marginalised’ and believes some of the players are ‘losing respect for him.’
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Maguire became United captain less than six months after his arrival at Old Trafford, with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer handing him the armband after Ashley Young’s departure in January 2020.
The Mirror claims that while Ronaldo initially ‘backed’ the former Leicester City star as United captain, the Portuguese forward’s ‘vocal support’ has started to dwindle.
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It has been suggested that there is a ‘growing belief’ in the United dressing room that it is only a matter of time before Ronaldo will inherit the captain’s armband from Maguire.
“Originally, Ronaldo was asking players to back Harry. But the problem is the manager now wants Ronaldo to mentor all these younger players,” a United source told the newspaper.
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“That’s left Harry in no man’s land, as he’s the captain and having to say and follow whatever Ronaldo says, to keep everything sweet.”
Marcus Rashford recently took to Twitter to hit out at reports that the United dressing room was divided and both he and Maguire were ‘unhappy’ at Ronaldo wanting ‘more power.’
United, who are fourth in the league table, will travel to Elland Road on Sunday for their Premier League clash with Leeds.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Harry Maguire, Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United, Ralf Rangnick, Premier League, Football, England