Harry Maguire was booed by England supporters at Wembley this week and there was widespread condemnation.
Gareth Southgate described it as a ‘joke’ while teammates Jordan Henderson, Harry Kane and Declan Rice all stuck up for the Manchester United defender.
There was even a message from Tottenham Hotspur’s official Twitter account, jumping on the moral bandwagon to support Maguire.
Going against the grain was former Southampton midfielder and Premier League legend Matt Le Tissier, who put forward an alternative argument to state the case that fans are entitled to boo the defender, and manager Gareth Southgate must bear the blame.
Le Tissier suggested that because Maguire was out of form for his club, he did not deserve to be in the England team.
He may not be wrong on that count, but it’s worth bearing in the mind the context that as a player, Le Tissier was himself overlooked for players of bigger clubs, some of who coasted through on reputation despite form, so he has a vested interest in his perspective.
Maguire must be the man to fix it
There is one way for Maguire to fix the booing problem, which is of course easier said than done, he needs to return to form.
Doing so at Manchester United is not as easy, where there is more pressure, and he does not have a top defensive midifelder to help him out, like England do with Declan Rice.
The challenge for his managers at club and country level, is whether to keep playing Maguire through his trouble, or to give him a rest out of the side to clear his mind.
At United there are more quality options to rotate, with Raphael Varane, Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly all competing for places. Part of the frustration United fans have, is that Maguire seems to start each and every week, with other players not given a fair run in the side.
Whether he plays consistently, or is rested a bit more, ultimately it is down to Maguire, who has to either step up and improve, or wilt under the growing pressure.
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