The toxic atmosphere in Manchester United’s dressing room has been laid bare by the power struggle between skipper Harry Maguire and icon Cristiano Ronaldo.
United’s locker room has been a far from harmonious place this season, with player divisions conspiring to undermine results and performances on the field.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer struggled to get a handle on the unrest and paid for it with his job, as results reflected the growing disharmony within the squad.
Interim boss Ralf Rangnick has not fared much better. There has been a player backlash over his methods and his coaching staff, with poor results and performances illustrating the discontent.
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It is all a far cry from August 31, when United sent the football world into meltdown with the revelation they had re-signed Ronaldo 12 years after he had left them for Real Madrid.
With Ronaldo’s arrival bolstered by the addition of Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund and France World Cup winner Raphael Varane from Real, United were poised for a first title push since Sir Alex Ferguson rode off into the sunset in 2013.
But that optimism and expectation swiftly evaporated as United’s form nosedived, with Solskjaer sacked on November 21 after a humiliating 4-1 defeat at Watford.
Ronaldo’s arrival, heralded as the final piece in the jigsaw for United to mount a Premier League title challenge, is seen by some as a chief reason for the decline because it has ultimately destabilised the team.
Edinson Cavani, who had been persuaded to stay an extra year with the promise he would lead United’s attack, suddenly found himself sidelined, with Ronaldo taking his No.7 shirt for good measure. There was also dismay among fringe players, notably Eric Bailly, Donny van de Beek and Jesse Lingard, over their lack of opportunities, despite those in their positions underperforming.
After Solskjaer’s dismissal, Rangnick was parachuted in to salvage their season but walked straight into public conflict with players. His blunt approach is something United’s squad are not used to.
Anthony Martial took to Instagram to contest Rangnick’s claim that he refused to travel to a league game at Aston Villa last month, while Lingard employed the same tactic when United’s interim boss said he had requested time off to “clear his mind” after failing to secure a loan move.
There were also claims that United’s players were unimpressed with Rangnick’s coaching appointments, in particular the American Chris Armas, supposedly nicknamed Ted Lasso after the hapless fictional US football coach in the hit TV comedy series of the same name.
It painted a picture of a squad in turmoil, one made up of individuals simply out for themselves, without a common purpose to unite them, a group of players with fragile egos who put their own interests above those of the club. Several, record £89million signing Paul Pogba among them, have chosen to run down their contracts this summer.
The mounting problems have triggered a backlash from United supporters, who have steadfastly stood by their players in the barren post-Ferguson era but who have grown weary of the sense of entitlement within this current squad, one that continues to underperform and underwhelm, despite a change of manager.
The power struggle between Ronaldo and United captain Maguire – the latter is said to feel undermined by the former’s status and influence in the dressing room – is the latest off-field issue to test the man-management skills of 63-year-old Rangnick.
After just 81 days in charge, the German must be thankful his tenure will finish at the end of this season and he will move upstairs to a consultancy role, leaving someone else with the task of addressing the divisions and cliques at Old Trafford.
Whoever comes in – whether it be Mauricio Pochettino, Erik ten Hag or Luis Enrique – will need to tackle the divisions and backbiting within the squad that continue to handicap the world’s biggest club as much as their shortcomings on the pitch.
