“The one who should be captain is the one they all respect” – Paul Parker snubs Maguire and Ronaldo while naming ideal Manchester United captain

Former Manchester United defender Paul Parker believes David de Gea deserves to be the Red Devils captain over Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Maguire.

Parker also gave his reasons as to why de Gea is a better candidate to lead the Red Devils over the two aforementioned stars. The shot-stopper has been vital in United's charge towards a top-four finish in the Premier League.

Speaking to BetfredTV (via the Manchester Evening News), Parker said:

"I don't think Harry Maguire should be captain of Manchester United. I think he's got too much going on in his own game to worry about rather than trying to lead a team which he'd only just joined and in a few seconds gets the captaincy."

He added:

"I think that was more off of his price tag rather than the side of him as a person, as a leader of men. And at the moment I think the one who should be captain is the one they all respect, David de Gea. Because to be a captain you have to respect a player."

Parker concluded:

"David de Gea has to be the most respected player in that Manchester United team because he's the one who has actually kept them in the position to be fourth in the league at this moment in time."

There were rumors floating around this week that Maguire might be stripped of the club captaincy in favor of Ronaldo. However, the centre-back took to social media to deny any rift between the pair.

Interim manager Ralf Rangnick also confirmed during a press conference that Maguire will continue to lead the Red Devils this season. He said:

"I have never spoken with any player about a change of captaincy. This has never been an issue. It is me who decides who is captain. Harry is our captain and he will stay captain until the end of the season."

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Cristiano Ronaldo finally scored for Manchester United against Brighton

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a goal for Manchester United for the first time in the 2022 calendar year against Brighton and Hove Albion in midweek. Prior to the match against the Seagulls, Ronaldo had gone six matches without a goal across all competitions.

It will be vital for the five-time Ballon d'Or winner to regain his goalscoring form and find the back of the net on a consistent basis, especially given their fixture list. Rangnick's side will travel to the Spanish capital next week to take on Atletico Madrid in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League.

Prior to that, they will take on arch-rivals Leeds United in the Premier League tomorrow (February 20).

Despite his recent barren run, Ronaldo is still Manchester United's leading goalscorer this season. The 37-year-old forward has scored 15 goals in 27 appearances for the Red Devils across all competitions.