Harry Maguire's struggles at the heart of Manchester United's defense this season have been well documented. Most recently in their 1-1 draw with Southampton in the Premier League, the Englishman once again exhibited a few unflattering incidents during the 90 minutes, including a few shaky moments against Armando Broja in particular.
As a result, criticism of the Three Lions center-back has multiplied, thus forcing Ralf Rangnick to address the elephant in the room: Maguire's captaincy at the Theatre of Dreams. Calls for the former Leicester ace to be stripped of the armband are at its highest, while others wish to see him dropped from the lineup altogether due to his poor campaign.
In fact, rumors from when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was still in charge claimed that the fans weren't the only ones questioning the captaincy. Other players were reportedly unappreciative of the Norwegian's decision to name the world's most expensive defender as the leader of the Red Devils.
But will Rangnick heed the calls of the disgruntled Manchester United fans? The answer is no, as the German boss came out publicly and defended the 28-year-old in his pre-match press conference for their midweek showdown with Brighton and Hove Albion, with the former RB Leipzig tactician arguing that there is no reason to relieve him of his role.
The interim boss admitted that Maguire has struggled in the past few games, namely the 1-1 draw away to Burnley in which he was at fault for the Clarets' equalizer. Nonetheless, Harry's biggest critics will have to continue bearing the sight of the Englishman wearing the armband.
"I think when he came back after his injury he did extremely well. He had a very good performance, a very good game against West Ham," Rangnick said, as per Sky Sports.
"In the past two games, yeah he had some weaker moments, against Southampton and when we conceded the goal at Burnley, but he's our captain and I don't see any reason to change that."
"He's a player who has to develop, get better, like all the other players," the German manager added.
"The way that we are playing now is new also to him because in the English national team he was used to playing in a back three and here at Manchester United, in most cases a back four, but still not being as proactive, not with that kind of rest defense always being on the front foot when we are trying to defend.
"This is something also new to him and it will also take some time for him to get used to that, to get adjusted to that."
Man United, who were initially tipped to challenge for the title, are now fighting for a top-four finish. One aspect that could derail that push is their horrible defensive record, with only two teams – West Ham (33) and Southampton (37) – in the top 10 conceding more times than the Red Devils (32) this season.
Next up for Maguire and Co. is a clash with Brighton at Old Trafford. This Tuesday showdown is a rescheduled fixture, meaning they cannot afford to drop additional points. Unfortunately, Graham Potter's side have shown this season that they are no pushovers, having tested the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, and Chelsea this term.
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