Rooney lifts lid on advice to Harry Maguire with Man Utd captain under-fire

Wayne Rooney has detailed the chats he's had with Manchester United skipper Harry Maguire, with the Red Devils legend dishing out plenty of advice.

Maguire has endured several periods of criticism since he made his £80million move from Leicester City, for his conduct both on and off the pitch.

The 28-year-old is in the midst of another rocky period with both his own outings and United's failing to impress on multiple occasions this season.

The club languish in fifth with plenty of their top four rivals still boasting at least one game in hand over them.

Speaking at the premiere of new film Rooney, the ex-England captain shed light on his communication with Maguire and addressed some turbulent moments away from the pitch.

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"Yeah, I've spoken to Harry a lot, very good conversations with him, obviously the incident in Greece and things to do with football as well.

"I speak to Harry on things and try and help him, give him advice of course but he's his own person - he's Manchester United captain in his own right.

"Sometimes, you have to go through these moments to improve yourself."

Maguire was embroiled in controversy in the summer of 2020 when he was found guilty of assaulting a police officer, swearing, resisting arrest and attempted bribery.

He has since appealed that conviction and is likely to be forced to wait until after the World Cup later this year before it is heard in court.

Meanwhile, on the pitch things have hardly fared much better with Maguire regularly berated by fans and pundits alike for his tendency for calamitous mistakes.

Any defender and captain who oversees a 5-0 home defeat by fierce rivals Liverpool followed by a 2-0 defeat at the hands of 'noisy neighbours' Manchester City is likely to have a lot to answer for in the eyes of the Old Trafford faithful.

Rooney also went through more than his fair share of controversies while donning the armband for United, but more often than not bailed himself out with some stellar performances.

Maguire has not had that same luxury and instead is only seemingly tainting his reputation with every mistake.

His most recent blunder came away at Burnley when he, along with Scott McTominay, was turned inside out by Turf Moor's newest addition Wout Weghorst.

The moment was described as "embarrassing" by English football icon Alan Shearer.

"The lack of effort and the lack of a tackle from Maguire and McTominay was embarrassing in that midfield," he told Premier League productions.

"It was far too easy and that's how Burnley scored."

That contest finished 1-1 and ensured United conceded further ground in their bid for a top four finish.