Former Manchester defender, Rio Ferdinand, has said that it was a mistake to name Harry Maguire the club’s captain so soon after he moved from Leicester City Old Trafford.
He said that goalkeeper David de Gea would have been a better choice.
Maguire took over the club’s armband from Ashley Young in January 2020 and that was just less than six months after joining the club.
Asked whether the England international would have been dropped to the bench had he not been club captain, Ferdinand told Vibe with Five, “The fact that he has had the armband has given him that grace. Which it would do. I think he was given it too early.
“It’s a hard enough job coming into Manchester United, getting your feet under the table and starting to feel comfortable as it is without the added pressure of being captain.
“Being captain is a massive responsibility, there is history that goes with it, a big weight on your shoulders.
“You need to experience being there for a period of time to carry that weight. It was more important for Maguire to come in and concentrate on becoming a Manchester United mainstay than being captain.
“The thing you can counter that with, is that there weren’t many captains at the club, who else are they going to pick?
“David de Gea would have been my choice because of the time he’s been there and he knows what it takes to win.
“This is all with hindsight but you have to think about these times that might come with someone like Harry Maguire, new at the club in that sense. And that added pressure is weighing on him heavily at the moment