Harry Maguire: No power struggle with Cristiano Ronaldo over Man Utd captaincy | Football News
Harry Maguire has publicly dismissed reports of a “power struggle” with Cristiano Ronaldo over the Manchester United captaincy.
A story published by The Mirror described how Maguire is said to be undermined by Ronaldo’s influence in the dressing room.
But Maguire took to Twitter on Friday morning to deny there is disharmony among the players at Old Trafford.
“I’ve seen a lot of reports about this club that aren’t true and this is another,” Maguire wrote.
“Not going to start posting about everything that is written but I needed to make this one clear. We’re united and focused on Sunday. Enjoy your day everyone.”
Maguire’s social media intervention comes a day after Marcus Rashford hit out at claims that he is among a group of Manchester United players “irritated” by Ronaldo’s attempts to lead the dressing room with his own clique.
Ronaldo, who had been on a six-game run without scoring, ended his goal drought in emphatic style with a stunning opener in Manchester United 2-0 midweek win over Brighton at Old Trafford, lifting them up to fourth in the Premier League table.
Leading German journalist Christian Falk posted on social media on Wednesday that there is “a risk of a split in the team” with Rashford and Maguire among those taking exception to Ronaldo’s behaviour.
But Rashford dismissed the claims in a written post on Twitter.
He wrote: “Are we just making it up as we go along now then?”.
“Please stop looking for divides.”
And in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports on Thursday, midfielder Fred also spoke out against suggestions of a divided dressing room.
“Our dressing room is really good,” said Fred. “There’s a lot of fake news and a lot of rumours surrounding it but it’s great. We work together and we all have the same goals and objectives.
“It’s not easy for the manager to keep everyone happy because everyone wants to play and we have so many good players. But we understand each other. We have developed harmony in the dressing room and I think that’s the most important thing we have.
“We have maximum respect for each other in the dressing room.”
What’s next for Man Utd?
Manchester United travel to Elland Road to face Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds United live on Sky Sports this Sunday. Kick-off is at 2pm.
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