Manchester United captain Harry Maguire is not having the best time currently. United have failed to win a trophy for the fifth straight year, and fans have blamed Maguire for several of the club’s losses. However, things only got worse from there.
Maguire played for England in their 3-0 win over Ivory Coast at Wembley. He had a good performance, but that didn’t stop English fans from booing the center-back. The jeers first came when his name was read out and materialized again with Maguire’s first touch of the ball.
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Gareth Southgate was extremely angry after the booing
Everyone in the England team came out to support Maguire, and the team’s manager, Gareth Southgate, was the biggest advocate for Maguire’s case. He was seething after the match and called the reception unacceptable.
“We’re either all in this together or we’re not. Don’t think for a minute that the other players won’t be looking at that and thinking that could be me one day,” Southgate said.
Southgate also brought up other instances of English players being booed by their own fans. The country’s legends, John Barnes, and Ashley Cole, had to undergo the same thing, and more recently, it happened to Manchester City star Raheem Sterling.
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England needs Harry Maguire to be at his best for the World Cup
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The manager didn’t stop there and made his plans clear regarding Maguire and the World Cup. Southgate revealed that the country needs Maguire to do well as he will take the Manchester United star to Russia in the World Cup.
He also reinstated his point that fans should always get behind their players and that booing your own players is never acceptable in any scenario.
“We need Harry to do well. We aren’t going to win a World Cup with a load of players with three or four caps. I remember decades ago a few players being booed in an England shirt and it’s never been acceptable to me. Fans should always get behind their team,” Southgate added.
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What are your expectations of Harry Maguire for the remainder of the season?