Patrice Evra has hit out at fans over their "bullying" tactics in relation to Harry Maguire - just months after revealing he held private talks with the maligned Manchester United centre-back.
Maguire has endured a rotten season at Old Trafford and has lost his first-team spot since the arrival of new boss Erik ten Hag. However, the 29-year-old has retained the support of Gareth Southgate and is still a first-choice defender for his country.
Maguire has won plenty of plaudits for his performances in England's first three World Cup matches - and Evra believes England fans who have abused Maguire this year should feel "ashamed" of themselves following his resurgence in Qatar.
Speaking to Betfair, Evra said: "Harry Maguire has never disappointed in this England team. He never lets England down, so that's why he plays. So those fans who didn't want him to play must feel ashamed of themselves now. United fans can have a say about Maguire, but England fans can’t have a say about Maguire."
Maguire has suffered from some horrific abuse over the past 12 months after losing form and even had to call the police after receiving a bomb threat at his home.
Evra, a former Old Trafford favourite, initiated private talks with Maguire earlier in the season in a bid to keep his spirits up - and the Frenchman is delighted to see Maguire has turned things around and proved United fans wrong.
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"I'm so pleased with Maguire's upturn in form because at one point, he started to get bullied. It wasn't fair," Evra added. "Even when he was playing a good game for Man United, people would say he had a bad game and when he wasn't playing, if we conceded a goal it was because Maguire was in the stands smiling. Like, come on.
"It shows the quality of the player, it shows how much he loves his country, it shows he can handle the pressure with England. With what's happening at Man United, people tried to apply the same pressure on him with England and it didn't work."
Evra admits that Maguire has performed better for his country than his club, but is still hopeful that Manchester United will reap the benefits of his return to form after the World Cup.
"I see many players who perform well for the club and they don't perform well for their country. But some players perform well for their country and they don't perform for their club. That's where Maguire is right now.
"This is good news for Man United because when he goes back to United, I hope he has the same attitude, the same discipline and to make sure when people talk, he thinks, 'I'm a good player, I'm a good centre-back, I know what I can do.'"
