No need to strip Maguire of captaincy -Rangnick

Ralf Rangnick insists there is no need to strip Harry Maguire of the Manchester United captaincy despite admitting he has seen “some weaker moments” from the defender in recent matches.

Maguire has come under scrutiny for several below-par performances this season and a section of United supporters have suggested the armband should be taken away from him.

Southampton at Old Trafford, but interim manager Rangnick sees no reason to change his official leader on the pitch.

“I think when he came back after his injury he did extremely well. He had a very good performance, a very good game against West Ham,” Rangnick said.

“In the past two games, yeah he had some weaker moments, against Southampton and when we conceded the goal at Burnley, but he’s our captain and I don’t see any reason to change that.”

Maguire was named United captain in January 2020 by previous boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, five months after he moved to Old Trafford in a world-record £80m transfer from Leicester.

He has already made 132 appearances for the club and Rangnick says it will take time for the England international to adjust to a new way of playing.

He added, “He’s a player who has to develop, get better, like all the other players.

“The way that we are playing now is new also to him because in the English national team he was used to playing in a back three and here at Manchester United, in most cases a back four, but still not being as proactive, not with that kind of rest defence always being on the front foot when we are trying to defend.

“This is something also new to him and it will also take some time for him to get used to that, to get adjusted to that.”