"There is added venom" - Micah Richards urges Harry Maguire to hand over captaincy to Cristiano Ronaldo due to hostile nature of Manchester United fans 

Former Manchester City defender Micah Richards has urged Manchester United skipper Harry Maguire to hand the captaincy over to Cristiano Ronaldo.

As per the 33-year-old, Maguire needs help in his role as the captain of the 20-time English champions and Cristiano Ronaldo should be handed over the responsibility for the time being.

The former England defender has insisted that he remains an admirer of the most expensive central defender of all time. Richards believes that the 29-year-old will remain a key cog in the England national team.

Richards, however, admits that the Manchester United skipper is going through a difficult period in his career and it is quite natural that his game has been consistently scrutinized by fans and pundits.

In his The Daily Mail column, Richards wrote:

"Harry Maguire needs help in his role as Manchester United captain. This may sound like I’m joining the flood of criticism, but that is absolutely not the case. Questioning whether the armband could, in the short term, be passed to Cristiano Ronaldo is no reflection on Harry’s ability or character."

He further wrote:

"I’ve been a fan of his for a long time. He’s an outstanding England international who will play many games at the highest level for years to come. Gareth Southgate made that point on Thursday when he named him in his latest squad."

Richards believes that Maguire should pass the armband to veteran forward Cristiano Ronaldo for the time being as he can thrive under less pressure.

"Certainly, Harry is going through a difficult period of form. There is nothing wrong with casting a critical eye towards a player when they aren’t reaching the levels you expect and I wouldn’t be taken seriously if I suggested that all was currently well with his game," Richards wrote.

He also said:

"It’s not my role to defend people, but the reason I feel so passionately about why the captaincy should be moved on to Ronaldo — for the time being — is based on everything Harry is experiencing on a personal level."

Richards feels that a section of the Manchester United fans have gone over the top to criticize Maguire and that is not acceptable and is 'disgraceful'.

"We are now in an era, though, where a section of supporters are seemingly going to matches for the experience of the day rather than to fully support their team," he added. "Maybe it makes them feel good when they turn on someone; maybe they look forward to getting their target’s name trending online."

Richards further wrote:

"What shocks me about the treatment Harry is receiving is that it feels like there is added venom behind it all — critics are saying the likes of ‘he should never wear the shirt again’ and they call him ‘slabhead’ and other things, plenty of which is unprintable. It’s disgraceful, it crosses the line."

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Is Harry Maguire the scapegoat at Manchester United?

Since his very first day at Old Trafford, Harry Maguire has been scrutinized more than anyone else due to his massive price tag of £80 million It made him the most expensive defender, eclipsing the fee Liverpool paid for Virgil van Dijk (£75m).

The added pressure of captaincy has certainly not helped the former Hull City star. There is a general consensus that he was given the armband too soon ahead of players who deserved it more.

Maguire is definitely going through a poor run of form and has made some defensive blunders in recent weeks but there should be a limit to criticizing a footballer.

Richards is absolutely right and the Manchester United fans should be backing the 29-year-old rather than calling him names. The goal is to motivate an underperforming player, not break him down mentally.