"He’s been under huge pressure" - Rio Ferdinand urges Manchester United star to use De Gea example to recapture best form 

Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has advised club captain Harry Maguire to follow in the footsteps of David De Gea in order to regain his best form for the club.

Speaking on his Vibe with FIVE podcast, Ferdinand explained that Maguire should look at how De Gea dealt with adversity during his time at the club and take a leaf out of the goalkeeper's book to help him gain his confidence back. He explained:

"I think sometimes you need to be taken out of the fire. He’s needed that, he’s been under huge pressure, that comes with being Man United captain, that’s part of it. I think the proof will be in the pudding. We have to see it now, he’s come back in straight away, he looked very good at the weekend against West Ham – can he maintain that until the end of the season now? That will be the deciding factor on whether it was the right decision. I think he needed it. Sometimes you need to sit out and take stock, reboot yourself and go again."

He continued,

I think David de Gea was a good example. When he first came and he was playing and he made a few mistakes, I remember the manager calling me and a few of the experienced lads into his office, saying ‘listen, I’ve got David de Gea sitting there, playing against Liverpool at Anfield, huge game, pressure situation, do I go with the kid or do I bring someone in with experience. We all kind of sat there and gave our opinions, and the manager ended up keeping him in. The kid had a decent game, and it built his confidence again straight back from there, but he knew that was like a last chance saloon maybe as a young keeper, and he responded well."

Maguire signed for Manchester United from Leicester City back in 2019, in a deal worth £80 million which made him the most expensive defender of all time. The Englishman has since gone on to make 129 appearances for the Red Devils and is currently the club's captain.

The defender has made 22 appearances across all competitions this season but has struggled due to form and injuries. Ralf Rangnick will hope that Maguire can start consistently putting in good performances for the club as they look finish in the top 4 this season.

"he’s one of the best in the world again" - Ferdinand on Manchester United goalkeeper De Gea

De Gea has been incredible for Manchester United this season

Ferdinand continued to head praise on David De Gea, calling him 'one of the best in the world.' He said:

“Those little things build character, and without those little things happening to David, you don’t get the David today that came back from the situation that he was in this time last year where everyone was saying ‘he’s finished at Man United, we’ve got to get rid of him’ to now people saying he’s one of the best in the world again."

De Gea has made 469 appearances across all competitions during his tenure at the club, keeping 162 clean sheets along the way. The Spaniard has been incredible for Manchester United this season, oftentimes singlehandedly keeping Ralf Rangnick's side in games.