Gary Neville believes Harry Maguire being booed on England duty could help Manchester United fans in warming to the defender.
The United captain was subjected to jeering at Wembley from home supporters on Tuesday as he started for England against the Ivory Coast. Maguire was booed by a section of supporters when his name was announced at the stadium, before being booed again when taking his first touches of the game.
The reception came amid what has been a disappointing season for the 29-year-old, who has struggled to replicate the sort of form he showed in helping England to the Euro 2020 final last summer. Maguire was also subjected to a hostile reaction before the international break from his club’s supporters before the international break, having been subjected to ironic cheers after being substituted against Atletico Madrid.
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But former United captain Neville believes the reaction at Wembley could well work in Maguire’s favour, similar to how the club's fans rallied around David Beckham after his sending-off at the 1998 World Cup. The defender was greeted with cheers as he made his way off the coach on his way into Old Trafford ahead of the clash against Leicester on Saturday.
“It’ll be interesting to see how Manchester United fans react to Harry Maguire today,” Neville told Sky Sports. “It could be a good thing for Harry that he was booed by England fans, because that ordinarily galvanises Manchester United fans into responding and sticking up for their player.
“Look, he’s not had a good season, and I think he needs the season to end. Sometimes it happens like that, where you’ve only got nine games to go and you’ve just got to try and get through it.
“I think he’ll look back upon this time in many years to come as being one of his great learning experiences, but it’ll be tough for him at this moment in time. He isn’t having a good time, his partnership with Varane hasn’t taken off, mainly because of injury to Varane.
“But I have to say, it’s been a tough season. Not just for Harry Maguire, but for most Manchester United players.”
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