John Barnes has defended the recent performances of Manchester United captain Harry Maguire and believes the England international is still the man to wear the armband for the Reds.
The 28-year-old has endured contrasting fortunes for club and country so far this season. Domestically, he has struggled to perform to the standards he has previously set and has come into criticism, though for Gareth Southgate's side he scored in consecutive games during the November international break.
Following the restart, Maguire was sent off in United's 4-1 defeat to Watford in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's final game in charge of the club as they suffered another loss in their torrid run.
The departing Norwegian was the man who handed him the captain's armband after his £80m move from Leicester City in August 2019.
But Barnes believes Maguire and his fellow defenders have been exposed by not receiving enough help from elsewhere on the pitch.
He told BonusCodeBets : “Harry Maguire is absolutely the right man to be Manchester United captain. He’s playing in a back four that aren’t being protected. If Liverpool’s front three didn't work as hard off the ball, the back four would also struggle.
“It's not about any individual defender because Harry Maguire is a good defender, as are Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Luke Shaw. But the problem is, they're just being left to defend when the rest of the team doesn't apart from Fred and Scott McTominay who also need more hard done work in front of them.
“So, I don’t criticise Maguire at all because he’s a good defender for Manchester United and England but the way the team is playing, he’s being left to defend on his own which he can’t do so I don't blame him at all.”
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