Manchester United find themselves in a difficult position right now and as things stand, it looks like if they don’t win the UEFA Champions League, they will finish their fifth straight season without a trophy. And somehow, that is not their biggest worry at this point of time, as the Red Devils will be more focused on finishing in the top four of the Premier League. That is not going to be easy either.
Manchester City and Liverpool look almost certain to occupy the top two spots come the end of the season. And Manchester United appear to be competing with Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United and Wolves, for the remaining two positions in the top four.
Amidst all this, there has been a lot of off-field controversy surrounding the club as well. The latest of which has been regarding the captaincy.
Rumours have suggested that Ralf Rangnick wants Harry Maguire to hand over the armband to Cristiano Ronaldo till the end of the season, which the English international is not keen to do. But now, it looks like there might not be any truth to these rumours.
Rangnick confirms Maguire will remain Manchester United captain
As reported by The Athletic, Rangnick said about the rumours surrounding the Manchester United captaincy:
"“I have never spoken with any player about a change of captaincy. This has never been an issue. It is me who decides who is captain.“Harry is our captain and he will stay captain until the end of the season.”"
Maguire has not been anywhere near his best this season and questions have been asked about his place in the team as he continues to struggle. Thus, taking the armband off of him might help reduce some of the pressure on his shoulders.
But it looks like Rangnick is backing Maguire to play his way back into form while also captaining the side. On the other hand, giving a 37-year-old Ronaldo, who himself has had his fair share of struggles this season, is not a long-term solution for Manchester United either.