Cristiano Ronaldo 'wanted Harry Maguire to be dropped' during 2021/22 season
By Sean Walsh
Cristiano Ronaldo told interim manager Ralf Rangnick that Manchester United captain Harry Maguire should have been dropped midway through the club's awful 2021/22 campaign.
United went into last season full of hope and confidence after a strong 2020/21 campaign in which they finished second, and Ronaldo's signing 12 months ago appeared to strengthen their title- contending credentials.
However, the Red Devils went on to record their worst points tally in the Premier League era, finishing sixth and only just about securing Europa League qualification.
Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked in November and replaced by Ralf Rangnick on an interim basis with a view to becoming a club advisor. Though he started brightly, the German's spell quickly turned sour.
The Athletic report that back in February, Ronaldo was among a small group of senior players - including Paul Pogba and Raphael Varane - that approached Rangnick regarding their drop in form.
However, Rangnick was concerned that club captain Maguire was not among the group. Ronaldo stated that the England international's performances warranted dropping and his absence from the meeting highlighted part of the problem.
Listen now to 90min's Manchester United podcast, The Promised Land, with Scott Saunders & Rob Blanchette. In the latest edition they discuss the arrivals of Antony and Martin Dubravka, the possibility that Cristiano Ronaldo could still leave and whether a swap deal with Napoli for striker Victor Osimhen is on the cards. There is also reaction to Casemiro's debut.
But Rangnick put his foot down and other players present at the meeting apologised after feeling uncomfortable.
Ronaldo's other concerns raised at the meeting centred around his usage as a lone striker, requesting to play with Edinson Cavani in a front two more often.
Despite a rather negative public perception, the report adds that Maguire's standing in the United dressing room is not as bad as it seems, while he has retained the captaincy under three managers now.