Harry Maguire should keep Manchester United captaincy, says Crystal Palace winger Andros Townsend

Harry Maguire should still be Manchester United captain when they kick off their Premier League campaign against Crystal Palace next month, according to Andros Townsend.

Palace winger Townsend has thrown his support behind Maguire after the latter was given a suspended prison sentence on the Greek island of Syros.

Maguire was on Tuesday found guilty of aggravated assault, resisting arrest and attempted bribery after an altercation on the island of Mykonos last week.

He immediately announced his intention to appeal a 21-month suspended sentence, with a Manchester United spokesman saying on Wednesday that appeal had been granted and would lead to a “full retrial”.

The United spokesman said: “An appeal against yesterday’s verdict was lodged this morning by Harry’s legal team.

"In accordance with the Greek judicial process, the filing of an appeal extinguishes the initial court verdict and nullifies the conviction.

“The appeal has been accepted and will lead to a full retrial in a more senior court.

"This means that Harry has no criminal record and is once again presumed innocent until proven guilty.

"Accordingly, he is not subject to any international travel restrictions.”

Maguire was withdrawn from the latest England squad following Tuesday’s verdict, while his future as captain of Manchester United has been questioned.

But asked by talkSPORT if he thinks Maguire should be captain of United when they kick off their Premier League campaign against Palace on September 19, Townsend said: “I think so.

“I think, like I said, Harry Maguire comes across as an honest man. Gareth Southgate believes his side of the story.

“Manchester United have come out and defended him. So whatever happens I am sure he will still keep the captaincy - and so he should.

“I definitely think football will be a release for him. Once you step on that pitch, no matter what your issues are, no matter how serious your issues are, your issues just go away for 90 minutes.

“You just go back to being a kid in the playground and doing what you love. I definitely think football will be a release for him.

“I know he has got a great club in Manchester United. They will stand by him. They’ll protect him and build a wall around him so he doesn’t really get that abuse, which like you said is most likely to come to him.

“Hopefully he can clear his name during that time and get back to normality.”

England boss Southgate has come under fire for selecting Maguire on Tuesday, before having to withdraw him from the squad just hours later.

But Townsend said: “Gareth Southgate said he spoke to Harry Maguire and he obviously protested his innocence, so at that time there was no reason to not include him in the squad.

“Obviously a few hours later he did get charged and things got a little bit more difficult but, at the time, I don’t see why he would not include him in the squad.

“He told him his version of events and obviously Gareth knows the player. He’s an honest player, he’s a stand-up guy. So he has no reason to doubt Harry Maguire when he did protest his innocence.”

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