Harry Maguire is "exactly what Manchester United needed" according to former Red Devil Gary Pallister.
The defender headed to Old Trafford 12 months ago when United parted with a world record fee for a defender to lure him from Leicester.
Maguire has been handed the armband at United following the departure of Ashley Young in January.
United struggled defensively last term but the 27-year-old has helped sure things up and has also been praised for his leadership qualities.
“I think he’s terrific,” said Pallister on the MUTV Group Chat. “I think he’s rightly got the captaincy; he’s one of the talkers.
“He’s not the type of leader that Bryan Robson, Steve Bruce and Roy Keane were, but I think he’s got an assurance about him that the players respond to.
“I think, for his first season, he’s been terrific. He’s comfortable on the ball, you saw it on Sunday [at Leicester City], getting his head to things when the balls are chucked into the box. He’s dominant there and he’s exactly the type of centre-back that Manchester United needed.”
Maguire's regular partner at the heart of defence has been Victor Lindelof - a £40m signing from the summer of 2017.
The Swede has endured inconsistent periods during his Old Trafford career but has begun to settle.
And Pallister believes Lindelof has continued to improve having initially struggled with some of the demands of the Premier League.
He added: “Lindelof has had a really good season as well. He’s not as dominant as Harry, but I think he’s complimented him.
“He’s got the hang of the Premier League: the physicality and the pace of it. I think he went from strength to strength.”
United conceded 36 goals en route to achieving third place under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
