Man Utd icon Gary Pallister disagrees with Roy Keane over Harry Maguire

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Gary Pallister has hailed Manchester United captain Harry Maguire, in stark contrast to former Red Devils skipper Roy Keane. The Irishman has frequently slammed Maguire for his performances in a United shirt as the club made an awful start to the Premier League season.

The Englishman has found the going tough since returning from his duties at Euro 2020, where he helped the Three Lions to reach their first major tournament final since 1966.

Heavy defeats to Liverpool and Watford saw Maguire come in for particularly heavy criticism, with the 28-year-old sent off against the Hornets.

Those poor performances have also attracted the anger of Keane, who is a well-known critic of the most expensive defender of all-time.

“He thinks he’s shutting the critics up. But I think it’s embarrassing,” Keane said after Maguire had celebrated a goal for England last month by putting his fingers in his ears.

“He’s been a disgrace the last couple months for Man Utd. He thinks if he scores there, he’s going to shut his critics up. Embarrassing.”

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But Pallister does not agree with Keane’s analysis of the United skipper, insisting that there should be no worries over Maguire’s performance levels.

Pallister believes that Maguire’s poor form has been merely a symptom of the team’s wider struggles this term.

Those struggles culminated in the sacking of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, with Ralf Rangnick this week appointed interim manager until the end of the season.

There have been questions over Maguire’s suitability for the role of United captain, amid this season’s awful form.

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But Pallister has insisted that Rangnick can count on Maguire’s natural leadership ability when he finally takes charge.

“I think he’s been terrific for United since he’s arrived,” Pallister told compare.bet when asked about Maguire.

“I think he’s a natural leader in that dressing room and a natural captain.  I think Harry is a really good centre half.

“It’s just a shame the Varane partnership hasn’t had the chance to bear fruit in terms of playing a number of games together. That would’ve been the first choice pairing of centre backs.”

Maguire’s struggles have become more prevalent since his return from the Euros, alongside team-mate Luke Shaw, but Pallister believes they can return to form.

“It’s been uncharacteristic for him – he has made a few mistakes, the same with Luke Shaw and he was our player of the year last year, in fantastic form,” he added.

“You look at the Euros and wonder if that’s had an impact. They’ve both been in good form but until the last few weeks when it all went pear-shaped.

“The side looked devoid of confidence and belief, and everybody seems dragged down by it. I would have no worries about those two in the future.”

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