WAGE RAGE AT UNITED
England star’s ‘liking’ of social media post about pay cut sparks talk of a fresh rift
HARRY MAGUIRE fuelled talk of a fresh rift with Cristiano Ronaldo by liking a social media post claiming the Manchester United icon was unhappy at having to take a wage cut.
Ronaldo has asked to leave United in the wake of the 25 per cent salary slash, which affects all of the club’s players, following the team’s failure to qualify for the Champions League last season.
With the enforced wages cut, Ronaldo will see his weekly wage of £480,000 reduced to £360,000, with United consigned to the Europa League after finishing sixth in the Premier League.
SportBible posted a picture of Ronaldo on its Instagram account with a caption describing him as being “upset” at the wage cut which came after United’s worst season of the Premier League era.
The post was liked by Maguire’s official account, leading many fans to criticise the United skipper for making public his stance on such a contentious dressing-room issue.
Some fans took to social media to brand Maguire’s liking of the post “unprofessional”, while others said he should never play for United again for needlessly stoking up controversy. Maguire subsequently deleted the like, claiming he did it by mistake.
The episode is a headache new United boss Erik ten Hag could do without, as he deals with the fall-out from Ronaldo’s bombshell request to leave the club after just one season back. Ronaldo has a year left on his contract, but the 37-year-old wants to play in the Champions League for the 20th consecutive season and has asked United to let him go.
Maguire’s reaction to Ronaldo’s apparent anger at having to take a pay cut is the latest indication of ongoing rancour between the pair, which simmered throughout last season.
Back in February, Mirror Sport revealed how captain Maguire felt he was being undermined by Ronaldo.
Maguire felt his position as skipper was being threatened by Ronaldo’s presence as the leader within the group, with the Portugal star having positioned himself as the one setting the example for the squad, both on and off the pitch.
England defender Maguire was said to have felt marginalised in terms of his authority within the United dressing-room and viewed Ronaldo’s influence as a challenge to his status.
Ronaldo’s frustrations surfaced back in January, when he publicly called out United’s younger players for their unwillingness to turn to him for advice.
United fly to Bangkok tomorrow for the start of their two-and-a-half week pre-season tour, which also takes in games in Melbourne and Perth. United face Liverpool in the Thai capital, then take on Melbourne Victory and Crystal Palace in Melbourne, before finishing the tour against Aston Villa in Perth.
Ronaldo is unlikely to be on the tour, with United having granted their most high-profile player additional time off for family reasons. It is not clear if Ronaldo will join up with the squad for the Australian leg of the tour.