Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Maguire were at odds over captaincy leading to split in Man Utd squad – Report

Manchester United are looking to strengthen their squad and bounce back next season under new manager Erik Ten Hag after enduring a disappointing campaign in the Premier League last season. It was an abysmal campaign for United as they finished sixth and failed to win a single trophy. They are out of the Champions League next season and Ten Hag has a huge job at his hands in fixing the issues at the club.

Ten Hag, who was roped in from Ajax, comes with a brilliant record in the Dutch league Eredivisie

with his former side but will face his biggest test yet in the Premier League. Ten Hag has already eyed some key signings to kick-start his rebuild project at United with former Ajax and current Barcelona star Frenkie De Jong on top of his list.

Ten Hag is focused on strengthening United’s midfield which is an area of concern before moving on to other positions. While the incomings will provide him a significant boost ahead of the season, Ten Hag will also have to sort out the United dressing room which was reportedly split last season amid the club’s disappointing run.

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Cristiano Ronaldo, who returned to United from Juventus last year and was one of the best players of the Red Devils last season, was reportedly at odds with skipper Harry Maguire over the captaincy. United players were reportedly split after a disagreement over the captaincy and Ronaldo was at the core of it, as per a report in the BBC.

There were reports last season of a power struggle between Ronaldo and Maguire in the United dressing room during interim manager Ralf Rangnick’s tenure. However, England centre-back Maguire had rubbished the reports stating that all was well between the duo.

The report further claims that Rangnick was barely on speaking terms with Manchester United’s football director John Murtough, who was the person responsible for hiring him. Rangnick’s comments exposing United’s lack of ambition on and off the pitch didn’t go down well with Murtough, who believes such remarks could have been avoided to safeguard the club’s reputation.

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Rangnick was appointed to serve in a consultant role for the next two years after his stint as interim manager. However, he was let go after his fallout with the club’s hierarchy. Manchester United are yet to make a signing in the ongoing transfer window despite their rivals Liverpool and Manchester City having secured a few key signings already.