Harry Maguire did not address the abuse he received from England fans at Wembley last night as he summed up an “enjoyable” international break.
The Manchester United captain received boos from sections of the home crowd in Tuesday’s 3-0 friendly win over Ivory Coast, when his name was read out over the tannoy before kick-off and again when he touched the ball during the early stages of the match.
England boss Gareth Southgate condemned the treatment of Maguire as an “absolute joke”, while captain Harry Kane has also now criticised the fans responsible along with Three Lions team-mates such as Declan Rice, Jordan Henderson and Jack Grealish.
However, Maguire declined to publicly respond to the jeers when he tweeted for the first time since the game on Wednesday morning.
“Enjoyable week playing for my country,” Maguire wrote in a short message.
Southgate continues to keep faith with Maguire, who has earned 42 senior England caps since 2017 and was a key figure in the teams that reached last summer’s European Championship final on home soil and the 2018 World Cup semi-finals in Russia respectively.
Enjoyable week playing for my country 🏴❤️ pic.twitter.com/8oHZiOlhpe
— Harry Maguire (@HarryMaguire93) March 30, 2022
That is despite the 29-year-old enduring a torrid season at United, where he has continued to struggle for form under interim manager Ralf Rangnick.
“I thought the reception was a joke, absolute joke,” Southgate told Sky Sports of the booing at Wembley. “What he’s done for us, the way he’s performed for England has been phenomenal. I don’t get it. We’re either all in this together or we’re not.
“He’s in an England shirt and not only should you support a player in an England shirt regardless, but when he’s played at the level he has and put the performances in he has, it should be total commitment behind him. I don’t get that at all.
“I would imagine if you asked a few why they were doing that, they wouldn’t actually be able to answer. It becomes a mob mentality. At one end of the ground, you’ve got hardcore section of fans playing his song and trying to get his name sung, so I’m aware it’s not everybody. But we’re either all in this together or we’re not.”
He added: “Don’t think for one minute the other players won’t be looking at that thinking: ‘That could be me one day’.
“And that’s been one of the problems with playing for England. Players have thought, ‘Do I want to go? Because when it turns a bit difficult, the crowd is going to turn on me.’
“We need Harry Maguire playing well if we’re going to have a chance [in Qatar]. We’re not going to win a World Cup with a load of players with 3 or 4 caps.
“That’s not happened in the history of the game. We need our experienced players playing well, particularly in those positions on the field.
“He’s top quality. In my opinion, he’s the best centre back at his club as well. Where this is all starting or being fed I’m not sure. It’s ludicrous. Every time he steps on pitch every action is analysed to death. I can’t remember a player having that sort of spotlight on him.”
