This season has been somewhat of a horror show for Manchester United’s Harry Maguire so far, which has caused some hostility between United fans and their captain over the course of the season. The international break would have been seen to be an escape from this tense relationship but it seems the hostility towards the centre-back has spilled over into England fans.
Manchester Evening News reports that Maguire was jeered before the kick-off of Saturday’s game against Switzerland at Wembley and it has been said to have cut the Manchester United captain deep.
MEN state that before signing for United, people close to Maguire spoke of how much he enjoys his popularity among England supporters; which gives an insight into why this would hurt so much, as it was most likely unexpected, and it adds to the hostility he gets on a weekly basis from the Old Trafford faithful, which is growing with each poor performance.
Maguire has often saved his best performances for the national team and was excellent for the Three Lions during last summer’s Euros, therefore this comes as a surprise, especially as it was before kick-off and a ball had not even been kicked.
MEN state that England fans have often heckled United players, which used to give fuel to the Neville brothers’ performances in a white shirt. That was a different generation though, as these United players have proven to be a bit of a soft touch in recent months and criticism evidently gets under their skin.
The criticism of Maguire has become somewhat of a trend this season, most likely due to fans letting off all the frustration they had watching the defender from home during the pandemic. The criticism seems to stem from the huge money United paid to Leicester City in August 2019, as the centre-back has not justified that fee yet.
United tried to justify themselves by placing a captain’s armband around the England international arm but only Maguire can elevate himself to being worthy of the price tag.
It needs to come soon for the United’s captain because it now seems everyone is getting impatient with an out of form centre-back playing in their team.