Former Manchester United interim manager Ralf Rangnick ‘rejected’ Cristiano Ronaldo’s bid to succeed Harry Maguire as club captain, according to stunning reports.
Rangnick was appointed United caretaker manager last season after the dismissal of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with the view of taking up a consultancy role at the end of the 2021-22 campaign.
The former RB Leipzig boss was unable to turn the tide of United’s campaign and led them to a sixth-place finish, with Red Devils finishing 13 points outside of the top four.
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Rangnick left Old Trafford last summer and did not take up his planned consultancy role after he took charge of the Austria national team.
According to ESPN, United captain Maguire was ‘caught up in dressing room politics’ involving Red Devils legend Ronaldo.
Maguire has faced heavy criticism at United since his £80m move from Leicester City in 2019, with the England star ascending to captaincy under Solskjaer.
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The 30-year-old United defender retained the captain’s armband under current manager Erik ten Hag, despite losing his place in the starting XI this season.
ESPN added that Ronaldo, who left United for Al Nassr, informed Rangnick of his desire to become club captain after the sacking of former manager Solskjaer.
However, the publication reports that Rangnick “declined” Ronaldo’s offer to become captain ahead of Maguire.
Ronaldo ruthlessly pulled no punches towards Rangnick during his bombshell interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV last November.
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“If you’re not even a coach, how are you going to be the boss of Manchester United? I’d never even heard of him,” he said.
It is believed that Rangnick responded to Ronaldo’s harsh criticism of him not being “a coach.”
As per Sport Witness, he said last November: “I’m the team boss of Austria’s national team, it’s not my job to judge that. [It’s] the job of Manchester United and the sports journalists.”
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Topics: Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United, Premier League, England, Football, Ralf Rangnick
Adnan Riaz