Maguire fired warning by Rangnick as Man Utd boss discusses dropping captain

Harry Maguire has had a complete slump in form with fans demanding that he is dropped and lose the captaincy but Man Utd boss Ralf Rangnick has made his decision

Ralf Rangnick has warned bungling Manchester United defender Harry Maguire his form has not been good enough and that he must improve.

But the United interim boss has risked the wrath of supporters calling on Maguire to be axed, by admitting he is not ready to drop his struggling captain.

Fuming United fans have called on Maguire to be stripped of the skipper’s armband and axed from the team following a string of below par performances in recent weeks.

The England defender has been at fault for several goals United have conceded during a woeful run of three games without a win, which has seen them lose ground in the race for the top four and crash out of the FA Cup.

Interim boss Ralf Rangnick claims Maguire, who became the most expensive defender in the world when he joined United from Leicester in an £80m deal in 2019, is struggling to adapt to playing in a back four.

But he has told him to raise his game to help United salvage something from what is turning out to be another shambolic season.

Rangnick, whose side host Brighton on Tuesday night, said: “I think after he came back after his injury he did extremely well, with a very good performance against West Ham.

“In the last two games he had some weaker moments, both against Southampton and when we conceded the goal against Burnley.

“He is our captain and I don’t see any reason to change that, but he is a player who has to develop and get better, like all the other players.

“The way we play is new. In the English national team he is used to playing in a back three, here he’s in a back four but not as proactive. It will take some time for him to get used to it.”

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