Manchester United reportedly rejected a serious request made by Cristiano Ronaldo before he left the club.
The Portuguese superstar is no stranger to causing issues in the dressing room, with some having found him to be a divisive figure at figure at times.
Read: Manager tears into 'selfish greedy' Ronaldo
While his first stint at Old Trafford between 2003 and 2009 was a huge success, his second spell in Manchester was marred by controversy as he eventually cut ties with the club prematurely by mutual consent in November.
In his scathing tell-all interview with Piers Morgan late last year, he blasted the club and some of the decisions made by management, including the appointment of Ralf Rangnick as an interim manager in November 2021, describing the German as "not even a coach".
It has now been reported that the striker made a specific request to the now-Austria boss, which was subsequently denied.
According to ESPN, Ronaldo demanded that Harry Maguire be stripped of the captaincy and that the armband be given to him.
While that request was rejected at the time, the defender has all but relinquished the armband to Bruno Fernandes this season, given his lack of game time under the man who came in to replace Rangnick, Erik ten Hag.
It is said United's coaching staff are still concerned about the Englishman's tendency to rush out of position to win tackles, as well as a perceived lack of mobility.
Read: Man Utd star 'set for exit', EPL rivals ready to pounce
Maguire recently stressed that he would like to have more game time at the Theatre of Dreams, having fallen behind the likes of Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane, and even Luke Shaw at times for the centre-back position.
"I want to play every game for my club and my country," he said last week, according to the Metro. "I feel like I'm good enough to play at a high level and I've proven that over the last five, six years now.
"I understand that the lads who are playing at Manchester United are playing well and I've got some high competition in terms of some amazing centre-halves at the club. It is good for the club and we push each other."
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