Former Manchester defender Gary Pallister has explained how Harry Maguire may benefit from being relieved of the club's captaincy.
He suggested that David de Gea may be a good replacement for Maguire, who has faced a continuous wave of criticism this season with many United fans unimpressed with his performances.
Maguire was even booed by England fans in March, which was condemned by many Three Lions team mates and boss Gareth Southgate. The father-of-two also received a bomb threat at his home on Thursday and was left on the bench for United's 3-1 loss to Arsenal on Saturday after Ralf Rangnick decided he needed a rest after a difficult week.
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Pallister said that passing on the captain’s armband may not be the worst decision in the world for Maguire. He told Genting Casino: “I would understand it if United were to take the captaincy off of Harry Maguire.
“I think he's got a lot of pressure on him — he's also had some crazy threats. Maguire has taken a lot of stick this year and he'd be the first to admit that he's not been at his best.
“He absolutely has a future at Manchester United. He's one of the stronger characters in the dressing room.
“He did really well in the first couple of seasons and deserved the captaincy. I wouldn't have a problem if he stayed as captain but it might help him by taking off some of the pressure.”
De Gea has been at the club for over a decade now, and is approaching 500 games in a United jersey. Pallister described how the goalkeeper might be the next best choice, albeit there are not a lot of options to choose from.
He said: “David De Gea has been United's standout player if you take away (Cristiano) Ronaldo's goals. He's been United's most consistent player and is miles ahead of everybody else.
“It's the last chance saloon having your goalkeeper as your captain, as it shows that there's not enough strong personalities in the side to give it to somebody else. The captains that I played for at United, England and Middlesbrough, they were all massive personalities and they bossed the dressing room and really led on the football pitch.
“At this moment in time, Manchester United don't have these strong characters in the side — (they're) good players but nothing like the great United captains of the past.”
