Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown has described the continuous criticism that Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has attracted this season as 'disrespectful' and has called for United to change formation to help him get back on track.
Maguire, who was included in Gareth Southgate's latest England squad on Thursday for their upcoming friendlies with Switzerland and the Ivory Coast, has been on the receiving end of almost non-stop criticism throughout the season. He has been guilty of producing some disappointing performances and the patience of many United supporters is wearing thin.
Some United match-goers turned on the former Leicester City man when he was substituted against Atletico Madrid at Old Trafford on Tuesday evening. They jeered him as he ran off the pitch to be replaced by Juan Mata with just six minutes of normal time left on the clock.
READ MORE: Manchester United can repeat Arsenal trick to rebuild squad in next transfer window
Whilst some of the criticism Maguire has faced this season has been justified because of how much his form has nosedived, Keown has admitted that he is uncomfortable with the amount of criticism the England defender has faced. He has also outlined how it must be directly impacting him.
Keown told talkSPORT : "I'm not really comfortable with the amount of criticism that he gets and if I was in his camp, or he was my lad, I'd be asking him to toughen up and tell a number of these former players where to go really. I feel that the criticism that's come his way has affected him.
"There's no doubt that in that midweek game in the Champions League he didn't seem like the same player, particularly in possession. There's a weakness when people are running at him and there's a feeling in the stadium that Manchester United fans don't really want him there. It's difficult for him."
Whilst football supporters are entitled to voice their opinions, the players subjected to criticism and, quite often, abuse are human beings. They will suffer as a result of consistently being criticised and Keown, as hard as it has been for Maguire, believes he needs to find a way to remain strong.
"It's a big ask," Keown added when asked if Maguire should be able to handle the criticism. "It's a tough thing for anyone to deal with, but he's got to stay strong.
"Is it respectful if you're part of his family and you have to listen to that? I'm talking about his reaction to that criticism and it's a human reaction. I feel like it's a little bit disrespectful. People who have had extremely good careers are lambasting him, taking his career apart and he's taking it to heart.
"I just feel like the formation should change to protect him, actually. People will ask, 'why should you do that?' and you see United are leaking goals for fun and they should play in a three.
"If he doesn’t have a midfield in front that wants to protect, he's in trouble. He gets isolated far too much. I'm saying how I would deal with it. If I was hearing this amount of criticism then I'd tell them where to go."
Sign up to our United newsletter so you never miss an update from Old Trafford this season.
