EPL: Some Man Utd players rejected captain’s armband – Solskjaer

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has claimed some Manchester United players turned down the chance to captain the Premier League club during his reign.

During the Norwegian’s stint at Old Trafford, the likes of David de Gea, Antonio Valencia, Harry Maguire and Ashley Young all wore the armband during various stages.

By the end of Solskjaer’s tenure, several high-profile stars were said to have been openly questioning his decision to hand Maguire the captaincy on a permanent basis, particularly in the wake of the decision to bring Cristiano Ronaldo back to the club.

Solskjaer, however, insists he had a solid relationship with the majority of the players in his first team squad, but admitted several egos in the dressing room had an inflated opinion of their worth.

He told The Athletic: ‘Some weren’t as good as their own perception of themselves. I won’t name names, but I was very disappointed when a couple turned down the chance to be captain.

‘I was also disappointed when others said they wouldn’t play or train because they wanted to force their way out.

‘There was stuff in the media after I left about how I treated some players, which were complete lies, but I had a solid, honest relationship with most of them.’