Rangnick must be wary of "long-term impact" on Maguire at Man Utd

Manchester United boss Ralf Rangnick has been warned that he must consider the "long-term impact" of continuing to select Harry Maguire.

Rangnick is bidding to keep United's top-four hopes alive this weekend when they clash with Manchester City.

United's bitter rivals are well-placed in their bid to retain their Premier League crown – where they currently boast a 19-point lead over United at the summit of the standings.

While Pep Guardiola's side are seemingly romping their way to another title, United have struggled during the interim reign of Rangnick.

And a number of players have been repeatedly slammed for their poor form for United this season – including Maguire.

Despite a clamour for Maguire to be dropped, Rangnick has persisted with his under-fire captain.

However, with Manchester City in rampant form, there's every chance that the reigning champions could run riot at the Etihad on Sunday if United's defence aren't at their best.

And that's prompted former Manchester City star Joleon Lescott to warn the German that he has to consider Maguire's long-term belief if he is determined to keep selecting him.

"Another huge call Rangnick must make is whether to start Harry Maguire," Lescott told LiveScore.

"Again, I think it depends on how he sets up the team. If United are going to sit back, absorb pressure and play on the break, I think you play him.

"But if the plan is to go toe-to-toe, I don’t think he can start. He looks completely bereft of confidence and it’s not the type of occasion to play someone who is struggling.

"The issue with not starting him would be the long-term impact it could have on his personal belief, though.

"At the end of the day, he’s the captain and you expect him to lead by example."

Maguire's poor form ahead of Sunday's derby clash has led to calls for him to be stripped of the United captaincy.

However, Rangnick quashed talk of making a change just last month.

Don't miss a thing with our football updates!

Want to be on the ball with all of the latest football news?

Well then sign up for the brilliant Daily Star football email newsletter!

From the latest transfer news to the agenda-setting stories, get it all in your email inbox – don't miss a thing.

How do you sign up?

It only takes a matter of seconds.

Simply type your email address into the box at the top of this article and hit 'subscribe'.

And that's it, job done. You'll receive an email with all of the top news stories every single morning.

You can find out more information on our email newsletter on this link here.

He said: “Well, to start with, I must say that this is absolutely nonsense.

“I have never spoken with any player about a possible change of captaincy and Harry is fully aware of that and so is Cristiano, and all the other players.

“So this has never been an issue for me, it is me who decides the captain and therefore there is no reason to speak about that with any other person.

“Harry is our captain and will stay our captain until the end of the season and there is nothing else to add on to that.”

Joleon Lescott was speaking to LiveScore. To read his full column, click here.

Source: Read Full Article