"There will be a decision" - Fabrizio Romano believes 'excellent' Cristiano Ronaldo could succeed Harry Maguire as Manchester United captain

Fabrizio Romano believes Manchester United defender Harry Maguire could be replaced by Cristiano Ronaldo as the club's next captain.

Maguire, 29, has been United skipper since January 2020, succeeding Ashley Young in the role despite only having arrived the previous summer.

The English centre-back has encountered a difficult spell in the role, with many scrutinizing his leadership skills alongside his performances at the back.

Maguire's past season was littered with huge criticism and he took the brunt of his side's woeful campaign with calls for his place in the side to be re-evaluated.

Mirror reports that Erik ten Hag is set to hand his squad members the decision to decide the club's next captain, with the unanimous favorite being goalkeeper David de Gea.

Fabrizio Romano has now given an update on the captaincy situation at Old Trafford, telling CaughtOffside:

"Erik ten Hag will speak to individual players and there will be a decision on Man United captain in the coming days or weeks,”

He continued:

“At the moment, I understand that Harry Maguire is very calm and not worried about Ten Hag’s decision, which would eventually be part of the start of a new technical project."

Romano is of the personal opinion that United should look to their star man Cristiano Ronaldo to be given the role:

“Personally, I believe that Cristiano Ronaldo with his leadership can be an excellent captain but the internal decisions on these topics arise from many evaluations: I am sure that Ten Hag will be able to make the best choice.”

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Manchester United star Harry Maguire to benefit from giving Cristiano Ronaldo the armband

Manchester United can relieve Maguire of added pressure

For all of Manchester United's shortcomings last season, there was always going to be a scapegoat.

Harry Maguire was the most vilified Red Devil throughout the campaign.

Not only did United fans become irritated and impatient with their skipper, but the media were also damning in their verdict of the Englishman.

While there were rumors that he could lose his captaincy near the latter stages of the season, interim manager Ralf Rangnick quickly shut those claims down.

But it still did no good given the uncertainty over his role in the side, as defensive lapses in judgement and poor positioning were a regularity.

Perhaps relieving the former Leicester City defender of the captaincy pressure will do the player well as he won't have the added stress to lead United into a new era.

Maguire made 37 appearances last season, scoring two goals whilst being part of a backline that shipped 57 goals in the league.

Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo was splendid as usual, continuing his remarkable goalscoring form for the Red Devils following his return last summer.

The Portuguese star scored 24 goals in 39 appearances and was one of the few positives around Old Trafford last season.