Iran fans took aim at Harry Maguire ahead of their country's meeting with England in the World Cup group stage.
Manchester United captain Maguire has fallen out of favour at club level, with manager Erik ten Hag opting for Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane as his first-chance centre-back pairing and reports of a sale emerging. That hasn't harmed the £80million man's international standing, though, with Gareth Southgate picking Maguire to start alongside John Stones in the Three Lions' World Cup opener.
Ahead of the game, signs were spotted in the crowd at the Khalifa International Stadium singling out the centre-back. "It's not coming home because of Harry Maguire" read one, while another said "Harry Maguire your defense is terrifying [sic]."
Speaking on the BBC's coverage of the game between England and Iran, Rio Ferdinand made reference to Southgate's trust in Maguire. The defender was a big part of England's run to the World Cup semi-finals in 2018 and also played a major role as Southgate's team reached the Euro 2020 final.
"Southgate has faith in Maguire and that goes back to the experiences he has had with him in tournament football," Ferdinand said. "He's been impeccable in an England shirt, he's been faultless.
"He was in the team of the tournament in the last one [Euro 2020]. Yes, he hasn't been in form for Manchester United but you can see there's a special relationship that's been built through time and experience with Gareth Southgate."
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Back in September, Southgate admitted Maguire's club situation was far from ideal. However, with the defender so important for his country over the years, little has changed in terms of his international status.
"Clearly, we have a number of players including Ben Chilwell, Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire and Kalvin Phillips who are not playing a lot of minutes with their club," the 52-year-old said. Three of those four men have travelled to Qatar, though Chilwell misses out after picking up a hamstring injury on Champions League duty with Chelsea.
Maguire suffered an injury during the September international break, playing just once in the Premier League since returning. He has featured in every England game in 2022, though, having earlier scored three times for his country to help them top their qualifying group for the World Cup.
"I don't get it," Southgate said earlier in the year when Maguire was booed by sections of the England support. "What he has done for us is phenomenal. 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 you have played to the level he has and put in the performances he has, it should be total commitment."
