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Five-time Premier League winner Wes Brown recently defended Manchester United captain Harry Maguire. Maguire endured a terrible 2021-22 club campaign, which was symptomatic of the Red Devils' poor season.
As club captain, the centre-back received plenty of flak from all corners for his poor displays and inability to lead United from the front.
However, Brown, who won 11 major trophies during a 15-year stint at Old Trafford, believes some of the criticism fired at Maguire was 'over the top'. He told The Irish Independent (as quoted by Football365):
“Some of the criticism thrown at Maguire was over the top but this is how football works these days. People get on social media, they start wading into players and momentum builds behind that criticism and Harry has been a victim of that.”
Brown added that while Maguire struggled last season, the beating he has taken from fans in stadiums and social media has been 'pretty harsh':
“He has been booed by England fans, written off by United supporters on Twitter and it all seems pretty harsh. I get it that fans are disappointed, we all were after what we saw last season. So it is inevitable that people will pick out certain players and blame them.”
The former Manchester United right-back continued:
“Maguire has been at the top of that list and I get it. He’s the captain and he hasn’t been playing well, so he will get hammered. When you are playing for Manchester United, the standards and expectations are on a different level to most other clubs and all of the players didn’t reach that last season.”
"It's all about how Harry bounces back" - Wes Brown backs under-fire Manchester United skipper Maguire
With Erik ten Hag taking charge of Manchester United this summer, the club looks set to start from scratch after a disastrous 2021-22 season. Fans of the Red Devils will hope Maguire, who was brilliant during England's runners-up finish at UEFA EURO 2020, can rediscover his mojo.
Brown has backed the 29-year-old to do just that and said:
“We know Harry is a good defender. At the Euros last summer, he was one of the best players in the tournament and that wasn’t long ago.”
He added:
“Now, it’s all about how Harry bounces back from the position he finds himself in and I’m sure Ten Hag will want him in his team if the Maguire of 12 months ago is revived. I hope Maguire uses this summer to clear his head, come to pre-season with a new mentality and start again.”
Maguire made 37 appearances across all competitions for Manchester United last season, scoring two goals and an own-goal. The club conceded 43 goals in the 28 Premier League matches Maguire started during the campaign.
