Roy Keane has hit out at England manager Gareth Southgate for apparent double standards in his passionate defence of Harry Maguire. The Manchester United captain was booed by England supporters ahead of their 3-0 victory against Ivory Coast on Tuesday night.
Ahead of kick-off, Maguire was jeered by some fans inside Wembley, which led to an angry backlash from his England teammates and manager Southgate. The Three Lions boss branded the boos as 'an absolute joke', though United legend Keane downplayed the incident and accused his former fellow pundit Southgate of hypocrisy.
"I think Gareth has made it a bigger story than what it is. Every player gets booed. There’s going to be idiots at football matches. England fans have got a lot of idiots," Keane said as part of his punditry on ITV.
READ MORE: Manchester United player Harry Maguire breaks silence after England boos
"And if they’re going to boo Harry Maguire, I think Gareth could have easily said that it’s no big deal. He actually played well, just focus on that.
"I think he’s made a bigger story than what it is. And Gareth is almost picking and choosing when to support his players. Raheem Sterling had a bust-up two or three years ago, he was bombed out of the squad. He’s left other players out.
"I remember when Harry was sent off [in October 2020] against Denmark. He didn’t really support him – I thought – when he was walking off the pitch.
"So I think Gareth’s made a bigger story than what it is. Just get on with the game. He played well! And he’ll get fans back onside by his performances, not by people [like Southgate] reacting to a few boos or social media. Forget about it.
"Be big enough and man enough just to get on with the game. And he played well – that’s the most important thing."
