Roy Keane has offered his advice to struggling Manchester United captain Harry Maguire, admitting that he has sympathy for the defender.
Maguire has endured a difficult season, making a number of costly errors at club level and looking like a shadow of his former self. There has even been talk of a move away from Old Trafford for the 29-year-old, who cost United £80million back in 2019.
Maguire's struggles came to a head while playing for England on Tuesday as he was booed by fans at Wembley, having been picked by Gareth Southgate. The reception was strongly condemned by the Three Lions boss and a number of players.
But former United captain Keane was one of those who took a different approach, advising Maguire to get on with the job, while criticising Southgate for making the issue a "bigger story" than it needed to be.
Now though, Keane has shown a little more empathy for Maguire, offering him some helpful advice to get back into form and regain the respect of the fans as club captain.
Were England fans wrong to boo Harry Maguire? Comment down below
Speaking on Sky Sports' The Overlap Live Fan Debate, Keane said: “I feel for him. When I got the captaincy I had been there a number of years. I was used to the club and the culture of the club. I learned from other captains, what they did.
“And we were a winning team, which makes everything a lot easier. When Harry came to the club and got the captaincy, it made me worry about the other players, that none of them were able to take the responsibility. I think it would be difficult to take it off him, I don’t think that’s ideal. I think he’ll just have to grow with it.
“He should make sure he’s playing well himself. Whatever about the different demands, make sure you’re playing well. The rest will come from there. But while Harry is struggling with his own form, people will still come back to the captaincy.
“You can get carried away with the captaincy. Just try and be a good teammate, and a good player. Try and train properly. Do all the basics right, and the rest will fall into place.”
