Ralf Rangnick will NOT recommend Harry Maguire to be Man Utd captain under Erik ten Hag and says stars should VOTE
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RALF RANGNICK says Harry Maguire’s captaincy should be put to a player vote.
Maguire’s leadership has come under fire this season while the Manchester United defender struggled with his form.
He is set to miss the final four games of the season through a knee injury — meaning either Cristiano Ronaldo or Bruno Fernandes will skipper the team against Chelsea tonight.
Asked if he would recommend Maguire to incoming boss Erik Ten Hag, Rangnick said: “I understand your question but again it doesn’t make sense because we don’t know what kind of players will be here, what the group will look like.
“I can only tell you what I have done in the past when I was head coach or manager because in Germany it’s called ‘Mannschaftskapitan’ — the captain of the team.
“I strongly believe the captain should be elected by the team because he’s called the team manager and we always did that, we always had a board of four or five players.
“We called it the ‘Spielerrat’ [players’ council] — elected by the players.
“The player with the highest amount of votes was the team captain at the end. That was how I did it.
“I know a lot of head coaches don’t do it that way. That’s what I would do if I was still the manager next season but in the end I’m not. This is something that Erik will have to decide.”
It is a system Rangnick says is used in his native Germany which has been adopted by both Pep Guardiola at Manchester City and Mikel Arteta at Arsenal.
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The idea would put Maguire’s position in doubt, with a split at the club as to whether he should have the armband as his form suffers.
Maguire has come under pressure from United fans this season and was even booed on his last England outing.
Former United stars Rio Ferdinand and Paul Parker called for Maguire to be stripped of the United captaincy this season.
Last week he was the subject of a bomb threat on his home and is currently staying with his family at a team-mates house.
He was dropped to the bench for the defeat at Arsenal and now a knee injury will keep him out of tonight’s visit of Chelsea as United cling on to their faint top-four hopes.
Maguire has been playing through the pain barrier at times but has finally succumbed.
He is part of an injury crisis that Rangnick says has left him with just 14 senior pros.
Maguire is one of seven players missing for the Chelsea game with Jadon Sancho out with tonsillitis.
Luke Shaw, Paul Pogba, Edinson Cavani and Fred are all still sidelined while Aaron Wan-Bissaka is facing a fitness test.
Despite the injury crisis Rangnick is wary about throwing too many youngsters into the side.
Interim boss Ralf Rangnick said: “We have to be fair enough to those players, it has to be the right moment.
"They should have the chance to play well and perform well, it should be the right moment.”
Even with the players, he has available Rangnick admits lifting morale is the biggest problem right now.
He said: “Obviously if results are not going well, and we have lost three of the last four games, the morale, energy in the locker room isn’t as good as it would be.
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“Still we have to perform, this is what we’re getting paid for.
“It’s important for the players, knowing new manager is coming in, to show we are able to beat a team like Chelsea, this is our job, this is what everyone has to do and this is what we have been working for.”
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