Harry Maguire among 3 Manchester United stars who felt irked by Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival: Reports

Manchester United are looking set to lose Cristiano Ronaldo again
Manchester United are looking set to lose Cristiano Ronaldo again

At the start of last season, as many as three of Cristiano Ronaldo's Manchester United teammates were irked by his emotional homecoming at Old Trafford.

Cristiano Ronaldo joined Manchester United after leaving the club for Real Madrid almost 12 years earlier. He scored 24 goals across all competitions last season and was a lone bright spot in an otherwise torrid season for the Old Trafford faithful. He surely delighted the fans. However, according to Mirror UK, three of his teammates at the club were irked by his move.

First and foremost was Edinson Cavani, who understandably thought before Ronaldo’s move that he would be the first-choice striker at the club. The second was Anthony Martial, who was sent out on loan to Sevilla in January. The last was club captain Harry Maguire, who reportedly felt undermined as a leader due to the new presence of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Out of the three, of course, Anthony Martial and Harry Maguire are still at the club while Edinson Cavani has taken his leave. Both Martial and Maguire may not have to worry much longer as Ronaldo looks on his way out of Old Trafford. The Portuguese has reportedly grown tired of the transfer dealings and does not think the club can compete for titles next season.

Manchester United players will not be better off without Cristiano Ronaldo

It is laughable that some of his teammates felt bothered negatively by Cristiano Ronaldo’s presence if the reports are true. Harry Maguire’s captaincy has brought the club some new lows. He has consistently been poor, and question marks over his captaincy have been regularly raised.

Under Harry Maguire, the team failed to suspend their freefall at any point last season and finished 6th despite having several opportunities to be in the top 4.

Edinson Cavani might have produced quality at times, but the Uruguayan is past his prime and was injured for a large part of the season. He managed just two goals in 16 appearances across all competitions last season, half of which were starts.

Finally, Anthony Martial has consistently shown that he is unfit to lead the line at Old Trafford. The Frenchman’s lackluster displays and problems related to his attitude sealed his fate long ago. He managed just one goal in 12 appearances for Sevilla last season.

In a nutshell, the squad would have done well to regularly look up to and take advice from Ronaldo. It is difficult to see this team compete for the top 4, let alone the title, next season if immediate improvement is not made.

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Edited by Yasho Amonkar