Paul Parker says Harry Maguire should be removed from his role as Manchester United captain, with David de Gea the ‘only’ player the armband can be given to.
Maguire has struggled at the back for United this season and faced plenty of criticism for his poor performances.
Rumours suggesting the former Leicester defender would be dropped as skipper surfaced earlier in the season, with club legend mooted as a potential replacement.
But former Red Devils defender Parker thinks De Gea, who has been a shining light this season, is the best candidate to assume the role of captain.
‘Harry Maguire is his own worst enemy because he’s trying to do things that he shouldn’t be doing,’ Parker told . ‘He has to remember he is not playing for Hull City or Leicester anymore, he is playing for Manchester United.
‘I think he’s got to go back to basics. He has to defend properly, learn to defend properly. He’s gotta sort out his own game, first and foremost.
‘He’s the captain, but I think that needs to be removed. Then you have to have the right player for that to go to. There’s only one player you can give it to, and I said this quite a few times, and that is David de Gea. Cause maybe he is the most respected player there because he’s kept them in their League position as best he could. There’s no one else.
‘I don’t know if he could lead, but at least we know that he would lead by example, first and foremost.
‘Harry Maguire can’t lead himself at the moment, so he needs to get his game in order because if he tried to lead as a captain and tell people what they’re doing wrong, I think that they’ll be about listening, with another player.
‘So, he needs to get back to basics, play one and two touch and just try to become a good defender for Manchester United because being a good defender for Manchester United is a lot harder than being a good defender for Hull or Leicester City.’
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