Former England defender Micah Richards has called on Harry Maguire to temporarily surrender the Manchester United captain's armband to Cristiano Ronaldo.
Maguire has endured a tough season, with United poised to end the campaign empty-handed after dropping out of the Champions League at the hands of Atletico Madrid. The former Leicester man scored an own goal in the victory over Tottenham, and his misery continued against the Spanish champions as a section of the home crowd cheered Ralf Rangnick's decision to take him off in the closing stages.
Richards went through similar struggles during his own playing career, most notably during his time at Aston Villa. And the pundit has suggested Maguire could benefit from passing the armband to Ronaldo until he gets his own performances back on track, pointing to the Portuguese forward's own input against Spurs with his match-winning hat-trick.
"The captain... basically becomes the scapegoat [when a team is struggling]," Richards wrote in his column for The Mail. "I'm pretty sure if Liverpool were in United's position — not competing for trophies and labouring in the Premier League — Jordan Henderson would be in a similar position.
"I'm not calling for Harry to be stripped of the role completely. Perhaps he could do with having the weight off his shoulders for the rest of this campaign. He hasn't stepped out of line, he shouldn't be punished. But perspective needs applying to what he is experiencing and the impact it is having on his form.
"For the moment, a break from the responsibility would do him good. He needs support to return to being the outstanding defender we know and expect him to be again."
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Richards insisted some of the criticism of Maguire "crosses the line," but he recognised "Maguire will be aware of what's being said [about him]" and suggested Ronaldo could be better equipped to deal with the reaction from fans. He is not the first to mention Ronaldo in connection with the captaincy, either, with members of the fanbase making the demand after the veteran's explosive Sky Sports interview back in January.
"When Ronaldo returned last summer, the one question everyone asked was: 'Is he going to be captain?' he said. "Hindsight suggests United should have headed it all off and given him the responsibility because, if things aren’t going right, he knows how to deal with it with his big personality.
"More often than not — and his stunning hat-trick against Tottenham last week was the latest evidence — Ronaldo has been the man to step forward; he's built differently to everyone else in that squad. It’s not a criticism of them, it's a reference to the fact Ronaldo is one of a kind."
