Former centre-back John O'Shea is backing Harry Maguire to bounce back from what has been a difficult campaign for the Manchester United captain - but insists he must continue to work hard in an effort to recover from his recent woes.
Despite playing a key role in helping England reach the final of the European Championship less than 12 months ago, the former Leicester City man has experienced a season to forget at Old Trafford. He has been guilty of producing a string of underwhelming performances and individual errors.
He has frequently been slammed by United supporters and heavily criticised by an array of pundits, including former Reds star Roy Keane. There have been regular calls for him to be stripped of the captain's armband ahead of next season and some supporters have called for the club to cash-in on him and sell him as part of the expected big rebuilding project that is expected to take place this summer.
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But despite the difficulties that Maguire has faced this season, former Reds ace O'Shea, who played for the club between 1999 and 2011, is backing him to get his career back on track. Furthermore, he has also suggested that Maguire's struggles have not been helped by United's failure to source a settled defensive rearguard this term.
"I'm sure it's difficult for him, but he's got to remember you've just got to play through it," O'Shea told beIN Sports. "He's an England international - and he's been very successful in his career.
"He's a good player. He's just got to make sure he's working hard in these moments.
"The defence in general hasn't been helped by not having a settled back-four. There have been too many changes; right-back, left-back and Victor Lindelof and Raphael Varane injured. They've not had a chance to have a full run together.
"I think if Varane can stay fit, whoever plays alongside him should be able to play well. I think he's that good a player, Varane, if he can stay fit for the rest of the season it's a big plus for United."
Meanwhile, O'Shea, who won five Premier League titles during his United career, believes the standard of England's top flight has improved and the competitiveness of it is now at a higher level than ever before. Therefore, he has recognised the huge challenge the Reds face to be successful.
He added: "They've got a big challenge with the competition from Tottenham, Arsenal, West Ham, Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool. The competition has improved - and the squads of those teams have got much better also.
"It's a bigger challenge today that the players face at United. But I think they have the quality and they've just not been able to produce it enough.
"If they can produce it and sustain it, what gets you titles or into the top four or three is consistency. And they haven't been consistent enough - that's the problem."
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