Damming Report Reveals Ralf Rangnick Faces 'Crisis' Over Man United Captaincy After 'Power Struggle' Between Two Players

Ronaldo, 37, ended his six-match goalscoring drought on Tuesday in United’s 2-0 win over 10-men Brighton at Old Trafford.

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.

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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.’

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.’

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