Cristiano Ronaldo 'Could Replace' Harry Maguire As Man Uniteed Captain Under Erik Ten Hag.

Cristiano Ronaldo could end up succeeding Harry Maguire as Manchester United captain ahead of their first season under Erik ten Hag.

The new Man United manager Erik ten Hag is set to strip Harry Maguire of the captain's armband and hand it to Cristiano Ronaldo instead.

Ten Hag who was unveiled as United's new bosd on May 20th, replaced interim boss Ralf Rangnick after a turbulent season at Old Trafford.

The Dutchman has refused to commit to Maguire publicly and there have been numerous reports that the centre-back could lose both the captaincy and his place as a permanent starter, with the club currently in search of a new defender.

England centre-back Maguire has worn the armband for United since the departure of Ashley Young,  He was named skipper in January 2020 under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, just six months after arriving at Old Trafford from Leicester City.

The £80m most expensive defender came in for criticism for some of his very poor performances, and failing to inspire the team to a turn-around of form last season.

Both him and the Red Devils endured a dreadful form as they missed out on Champions League football.

This led to the Man United dressing room reportedly shattered last season amid their dire campaign after a dispute erupted over the club's captaincy. Maguire and Ronaldo had a disagreement which caused the splitting of the dressing room.

READ MORE: West Ham Set To Sign Jesse Lingard For Free From Man United. 

Despite the controversy, Maguire still kept his place as United's captain, with Ralf Rangnick apparently unwilling to strip him of the armband.

Following Ten Hag arrival from Ajax just before the end of the campaign, former interim boss Ralf Rangnick left the club over to take charge of Austria's national team. 

According to the Daily Star, TenHag have an opportunity to change things up. The captaincy is a subject which remains the matter of debate.

Ten Hag would not have too many options to choose from, the United's squad isn't exactly full of veteran experience. Only  Ronaldo and David de Gea are the only real candidates to take up the role.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner still remains the top choice to be United's captain, as he is expected to extend his United stay by 12 months, despite the club finishing sixth-place last season, gathering their lowest ever points total in Premier League history.

The former Juventus star did at least finish top of the scoring charts for the club and third in the overall Premier League standings.

He had  previously captained Real Madrid and the Portuguese national team, leading the latter to winning Euro 2016.

Ronaldo is expected to meet with Ten Hag on Monday as United's non international players return to pre-season training though Maguire has been reportedly allowed to go on his honeymoon before linking up with the rest of the squad. 

Ten Hag would a range of things with the team, including the 37-year-old's role and Ten Hag's future transfer plans.