Manchester United stars resented Solskjaer’s decision to appoint Harry Maguire as club captain - Reports
Some Manchester United stars resented Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's decision to appoint Harry Maguire as club captain, according to the Manchester Evening News. A few in the Red Devils dressing room felt the Englishman was handed the armband prematurely.
Manchester United have announced that they have relieved Ole Gunnar Solskjaer of his duties as their manager. The decision to sack the Norwegian comes on the back of the Red Devils' 4-1 defeat to Watford.
Solskjaer had been under immense pressure recently, especially following Manchester United's losses to Liverpool and Manchester City. In the end, the Red Devils were left with no option but to sack him.
Manchester United fans are hopeful that Solskjaer's sacking will mark the start of a new era for the club. However, the Norwegian's departure has brought some behind the scenes issues to light.
According to reports, some Manchester United players resented Solskjaer's decision to appoint Maguire as club captain. A few in the Red Devils dressing room believe the Englishman was handed the armband prematurely.
Some #mufc players resented Harry Maguire's promotion to captain. A player questioned why he was swiftly discarded yet Maguire and Fred were often retained despite under-performing. Even a player's father accepted his son had been "c**p" for weeks #mulive [@samuelluckhurst]
Maguire joined Manchester United from Leicester City for around £80m in the summer of 2019. In January 2020, Solskjaer named the England international as the Red Devils' new captain.
The decision to give Maguire the armband was criticised by many fans back then. If reports are to be believed, not all Manchester United players were happy with the decision as well.
It has also emerged that one Manchester United star questioned why he was swiftly discarded while Maguire and Fred were often retained despite not performing well. One player's father reportedly admitted that his son had been 'c**p' for weeks.
Jesse Lingard had a good rapport with Solskjaer, but was baffled by his lack of playing time. Axel Tuanzebe, who is currently on loan at Aston Villa, felt he lacked support from the coaching staff after poor displays against Istanbul Basaksehir and Sheffield United last term.
Diogo Dalot kept wondering why Aaron Wan-Bissaka kept starting, while Brandom Williams was unhappy he was not allowed to leave on loan in January. Manchester United's recent form has been worrying, but fans will be even more concerned about these issues behind the scenes.
Could Harry Maguire lose his role as Manchester United captain?
It remains to be seen who Manchester United will appoint as the immediate replacement for Solskjaer. Regardless of who comes in, they have a lot of work to do to turn things around at Old Trafford, with resolving behind the issues one of their top priorities.
With some players in the Manchester United captain not happy with Harry Maguire being given the armband, it remains to be seen if the new manager will strip him of the responsibility. Many fans believe Cristiano Ronaldo, Bruno Fernandes and David de Gea are better candidates to lead the the club than the defender.
The FIRST thing the next manager has to do is take the armband off Harry Maguire.
Cristiano Ronaldo or David de Gea has to be Manchester United's captain. https://t.co/nyBI1DMubh
Manchester United fans will be hopeful that whoever comes in makes the right decisions and brings back glory days back to Old Trafford.