Harry Maguire was booed by England fans last week after a dip in form with his performances for Manchester United.
Although the Red Devils defender has so often performed well for his country, he was surprisingly greeted by jeers by the home crowd at Wembley, leading to public criticism of those supporters from England manager Gareth Southgate.
Former Man Utd midfielder Luke Chadwick has spoken exclusively to CaughtOffside to discuss the issue, insisting it’s unfair on Maguire, and giving some insight as to why Maguire may have suffered a dip in form this season.
“It’s hugely disappointing to see Maguire being booed after what he’s done for England,” Chadwick said. “He’s never let them down and he’s been part of the most successful squad since 1966. He’s a key part of those performances at the World Cup and the Euros, keeping clean sheets for England, and he deserves huge credit for that.
“He’s not been at his best for United this season, but players have dips in form all the time. He’s the captain of the club, the manager’s shown faith in him, and I’m sure he can get back to his best.
“It doesn’t help that he hasn’t had a regular partner for United. Varane’s had a lot of injuries since joining … he had quite a good relationship with Lindelof last season but they’ve not played together as regularly this season.
“Overall, I’m quite sure we’ll see Maguire back to his best soon and having a stable partnership at the back will help that.”