Manchester United's miserable Premier League campaign has finally concluded, but leaks regarding the divided dressing room continue with fresh claims Harry Maguire was left out of a vital club meeting.
A 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace ensured United finished a distant 13 points off the Champions League places and a Grand Canyon-like gap of 35 points to title winners and local rivals Manchester City. When the Red Devils dismissed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in November, it was done in an attempt to stem the bleeding of a team and a club going backwards.
Ralf Rangnick, a respected and trusted tactician, was hired as the safe pair of hands to guide United to the end of the season, when a long-term appointment could be made. But the blows kept coming and after a decent start in the dugout, the German’s tenure will be remembered as one of the lowest in their history.
And although Erik ten Hag’s unveiling on Monday will usher in a new era at Old Trafford, the autopsy over their dismal 2021/22 campaign is still ongoing. “We never came near to that aggressive, pro-active football I’d normally want to do,” he explained last week.
“It has to do with physicality if you want to play like that. I should have done better and developed this team in a more sustainable way.” And while the interim boss has rightly taken some of the blame, the broken dressing room is also coming under fire.
Roy Keane infamously correctly predicted that the United players would get Solskajer the sack, while leaks have continued with alarming regularity in the months following. Reports have continuously suggested that one bone of contention amongst the playing staff has been in regards to the captaincy.
Maguire has held that position since January 2020, having become the world’s most expensive defender just five months earlier, signing from Leicester City in a deal worth £80million. But after a positive Euro 2020 campaign, the England international saw his form completely desert him at club level, with a string of below-par performances.
That form not only led to some questioning his place as skipper, but also in the starting lineup altogether. It is understood that at least one player made their feelings clear on the 29-year-old following one of their many chastening defeats.
Rangnick was pressed on several occasions on whether he would strip Maguire of the armband, with Cristiano Ronaldo assuming a leadership position upon his return to Old Trafford last summer. And Manchester Evening News report that while his standing in the dressing room was appreciated by the younger players, it did lead to a more reserved Maguire.
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The MEN also claim that in February, senior players held a clear-the-air meeting with Rangnick, but opted to not include club captain Maguire. The chat was said to have caused a divide with the dressing room, with one senior player ‘hijacking’ the meeting with his behaviour.
Last month Maguire came out and publicly defended his performances, pointing to the fact that he remained in the plans for both managers throughout the season, telling Sky Sports: "This season I've had some bad games.
"But I wouldn't be playing every game for Manchester United in the starting eleven if I'd been playing bad every game or not playing well enough. "There's a reason why both managers have put me in the starting 11 every game, for what I bring to the team [and] what I bring to the starting eleven.
"But I do also understand that I'm the captain of this club, I cost a lot of money, and when things aren't going well and we're conceding too many goals I'm going to get criticised."
