Teddy Sheringham has warned Manchester United that they are lacking a ‘proper captain’ amid Harry Maguire’s recent struggles.
Maguire was handed the armband just months after his arrival from Leicester City, but has come in for scrutiny in recent weeks.
The England international is part of a United defence that has shipped 11 goals in their last three games, including five in the thrashing by Liverpool last time out.
After returning from a calf injury, Maguire has looked well short of his best with his performances leaving a lot to be desired.
According to The Times, in the aftermath of the humbling defeat to Liverpool, one United player questioned manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ’s decision to make him captain so quickly after his signing.
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Ahead of a make-or-break fixture against Tottenham this weekend, United hero Sheringham has suggested that Maguire’s leadership skills are one reason behind his old side’s struggles.
“Maguire is having a ragged time. Once they went 2-0 down, the game plan and cohesion went out of the window, people started doing their own thing and it became chaos. Everyone was at sixes and sevens,” Sheringham told the Sun.
“That’s where you need to keep your head and you need a good skipper who tells everyone, ‘Calm down, we’ll get back into it’.
“It doesn’t look like there is a proper captain out there leading and demanding they stay in their structure.”
Sheringham, who won the treble with United back in ‘99, has told Maguire to follow the lead of defenders like Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister and the way they organised a back four.
“When you keep conceding goals, you need a big, strong leader and defender,” the former striker added.
“When United started their good reign, Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister tucked their full-backs in and told them they go nowhere.
“They didn’t care how many crosses a young Gary Neville and Denis Irwin put in as long as the opposition didn’t put any in, they stayed tight and didn’t concede. A top player would win it at the other end.
“It seems like everyone is doing their own thing and looking after themselves — and that’s not how a team works.”
Maguire has offered a defiant response to claims of a divided dressing room, claiming that there is still a united front, in a squad packed with leaders.
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"We have a lot of experience in our dressing room and a lot of leaders,” Maguire said in an interview with the club’s website. “We’re open, we’re men and we can take someone pointing the finger at us, but one thing is for sure and that’s that we all know we’re in this together, there’s no blame game.
Everyone has to look at themselves individually and look at where they can improve and “help the team, that’s what I’ve been doing and I’m sure that’s what every player has been doing in the dressing room.
“That’s the only way forward, we stick together, we move on and we improve."
