Roy Keane praised Harry Maguire's performance for England against the USA but was typically frank with his assessment of the criticism the Manchester United captain has received in recent times.
Maguire was one of the better performers for England during their drab World Cup draw with the United States at the Al-Bayt Stadium on Friday night. The 29-year-old started alongside John Stones as Gareth Southgate stuck with the same starting XI that had swept aside Iran in their Group B opener.
It was not a repeat display for the Three Lions as they struggled for rhythm and intensity. However, in going closer to rubber-stamping progression to the knockout stages, Maguire headed and kicked everything that came his way as England kept a clean sheet.
READ MORE: Saudi Arabia stance on United takeover
Keane was joined by fellow United favourite Gary Neville in the ITV Sport studio as they shared their thoughts on Maguire following his well-documented struggles domestically. Keane said: "He's done well tonight. The reason he gets stick is because he's not playing well. That's football.
"For some reason everyone has sympathy for Harry Maguire. But he did do well tonight, done the basics right and defended, simple as that, that's his job."
Keane added: "That will give him a little bit of confidence, with a clean sheet, but he's a big boy, he's got to accept the criticism and we'll give him a bit of praise because he's done well. That [playing passes out from the back] is one of his strengths anyway.
"He's lacked a little bit of confidence and that's what he's good at. But it's his number one priority to defend."
Neville agreed with his former Old Trafford teammate. He said: "He needed to get through the game with a clean sheet - and needed to get through the game without being at fault for a goal. He did head everything in that second half and will gain confidence from that."
MORE TO READ:
