Maguire denied what was stated in the report on social media
Manchester United coach Ralph Ranik described media reports of a rivalry between Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Maguire for leadership of the team, as “nonsense”.
A report published by the newspaper “The Mirror” stated that the players entered into a struggle to carry the captain’s badge.
Ranik said he knew what was written in the newspaper and was not worried about it “because I know it’s not true”.
The German coach added: “This is all nonsense, I have never talked to the players about the captain’s armband.”
“And that’s not a problem for me, Harry is our leader and he will always be the leader.”
Maguire took over the leadership of the team under former coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer two years ago, but the report says that his authority weakened after the arrival of Ronaldo, aged 37.
The England defender responded to the report, on social media, saying that “it is not true”, and that he and his teammates “are united and focused on Sunday’s match against Leeds United.”
Ranik said: “I heard about the things that were written, yes some players were uncomfortable after the transfer window closed, but things have improved, and the atmosphere in the team is now better than it was in the past weeks.”
“The important thing is the good performance and the team spirit on the field, this is what we strive for,” he stressed.
Ranik said he has finally learned about the rivalry between Manchester United and Leeds, and is excited to go to Elon Road.
“As far as I know, it’s the first game Manchester United have played at Elon Road in front of a full crowd, since Leeds were last in the Premier League. We’re excited about it.”