Mesut Ozil has sent Harry Maguire a message of support after the Manchester United captain received a bomb threat.
Cheshire Police said that officers had attended the England defender’s house on Thursday, where he lives with his fiancee Fern Hawkins and their two daughters.
A spokesman for Maguire told The Sun: “In the last 24 hours, Harry has received a serious threat to his family home.
“He has reported this to the police who are now looking into the matter.
“The safety of his family and those around him is obviously Harry’s number one priority.
“He will continue to prepare for this weekend’s fixture as normal and we will not be commenting in any further detail at this time.”
A spokesperson for the force said: “On Wednesday 20 April Cheshire Police were called to reports of a bomb threat at an address in the Wilmslow area.
“No evacuations took place, but as a precautionary measure a police explosives dog has attended the address this afternoon, Thursday 21 April, to conduct a search of the gardens and surrounding area.”
Maguire has been frequently criticised for the level of his performance this season, particularly after Tuesday’s 4-0 loss to Liverpool, but moved to defend himself in a recent TV interview.
It has been another miserable campaign for the club and they now face a fight to qualify for next season’s Champions League despite an ambitious summer recruitment drive to have seen Cristiano Ronaldo return.
The £80m defender, who moved to Old Trafford in the summer of 2019, was also booed when on England duty last month, leading to a number of teammates to come out and support him.
Writing on Twitter said, former Arsenal midfielder Ozil commented: “Just read the news about Harry Maguire ... this is just insane.
“Football can never ever be that serious to be threatening a player and his family. I’m shocked. Sometimes football brings out the worst in people. Hopefully all people involved get punished.”
