Man United news: Harry Maguire may now hit rock bottom as captaincy plan confirmed – pundit
Harry Maguire’s Man United performances would suffer even more if he is stripped of the captaincy, according to Danny Mills.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the ex-Leeds United and England defender insisted Ralf Rangnick should stick by Maguire because his leadership skills are not at fault.
The Mirror reported yesterday (17 February) Rangnick wants to give the armband to Cristiano Ronaldo until the end of the season.
It is claimed Maguire is resistant to the idea as he fears he could lose the armband permanently and is going increasingly frustrated by Ronaldo’s presence.
As quoted by Football Daily today (18 February) Rangnick labelled the story as “nonsense” and confirmed Maguire would remain captain until the end of the season.
Asked whether relieving him of the captaincy would help Maguire, Mills told Football Insider correspondent Connor Whitley: “No, it would be even worse.
“I think it would have the opposite effect. Everybody is questioning his form and whether he should have the captaincy.
“If you take it off him, you’re saying you don’t trust him and thinking about dropping him. It’s hard to drop your captain, if he’s fit, he plays.
“Suddenly, if he’s no longer the captain, you’re out.
“Is it his leadership skills that are at fault or is it his performances? It’s his performances at the moment.
“I think it could have a negative impact on the player. Even if you think he needs to be rested, that would just pile more pressure on him.”
Man United are next in action on Sunday (20 February) when they travel to Leeds United.
A win would see them remain in the top-four.
In other news, Ralf Rangnick could be sacked by Man United soon after a ‘massively concerning’ report.