Cristiano Ronaldo tried to take the Manchester United captain’s armband from Harry Maguire

Cristiano Ronaldo had reportedly turned down a request to replace Harry Maguire as Manchester United captain during his time at Old Trafford.

United finally terminated Ronaldo’s contract in November after he focused on the club’s hierarchy and Erik ten Hag in a lengthy interview with Piers Morgan.

Ronaldo also criticized United’s decision to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with Ralf Rangnick last season, claiming the German “isn’t even a manager”.

Under Rangnick, United’s struggles continued in the second half of last season, while Ten Hag immediately felt a broken dressing room upon his arrival at Old Trafford last summer.

“There was no ghost,” Ten Hag said in December. “I didn’t see any team dynamics in the squad.”

And it seems United’s lack of courage in the dressing room has worried senior members of the side, as ESPN reports that Ronaldo had demanded to become the club’s captain after Rangnick replaced Solskjaer as interim manager.

However, the report claims that Rangnick rejected Ronaldo’s direct request and allowed Maguire to keep the armband.

Maguire has had his own rough patch at United this season.

The 30-year-old, who joined an £80 million deal from Leicester City in 2019, has come down the pecking order with Ten Hag favoring Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez as his centre-backs.

According to ESPN, United’s coaching staff are concerned about Maguire’s tendency to run out of position to win tackles and “a perceived lack of mobility”.

“I want to play every game for my club and my country,” said Maguire last week.

“I feel good enough to play at a high level and I’ve proven that in the last five or six years.

“I understand the guys who play at Manchester United are playing well and I have a high level of competition in terms of some great centre-backs at the club. It’s good for the club and we push each other.”