Harry Maguire is right Man Utd captain and can lead them to huge win over Atletico Madrid, says club legend Wes Brown

HARRY MAGUIRE is the right man to captain Manchester United, says club legend Wes Brown.

And the two-time Champions League winner reckons the defender can lead the Red Devils to a big victory on Wednesday night against Atletico Madrid.

Speculation has been rife that Maguire, 28, could lose the United armband to Cristiano Ronaldo amid reported dressing room discontent.

The England star answered his critics by powering home the opening goal in United's win at Leeds on Sunday.

Brown claims that it is unfair to rate the captain on those who have stood before him.

He said: "Harry Maguire gets a lot of stick and he gets a lot of stick because he’s slow.

"It is a simple as that, there’s not much more to it.

"He’s a very good defender and he scores lots of goals for a defender.

"Everyone in their career has ups and downs, you don’t play well all the time.

"But obviously when Harry does this, he gets a lot of criticism.

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"I understand it because he’s at Manchester United but I think he handles it well.

"I’ve always said I think Harry is a fantastic defender and fans always judge on past defenders and I think that’s a bit harsh."

Ralf Rangnick's men face a tough challenge in the last-16 of Europe's most elite competition.

Brown knows what it takes to win the prestigious prize, having done so in 1999 and 2008 under Alex Ferguson.

And he says the current crop of Reds should be confident going into Madrid.