Former Liverpool striker Ian Rush has jumped to the defence of Harry Maguire after the Manchester United captain was booed by England fans this week.
Maguire has struggled for form at club level this season, with United now out of the Champions League and outsiders for a top-four finish. The March international break seemed to have come at a good time for Maguire as he looked to put his Old Trafford troubles behind him, though some sections of the Wembley crowd booed him prior to England's 3-0 win over the Ivory Coast on Tuesday.
The reception was branded 'an absolute job' by Gareth Southgate, while a number of Maguire's teammates have aired their disgust since the incident. And Rush has now taken the chance to offer his support.
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“In my eyes, they’re not real England fans,” he told Gambling.com. “I don’t understand what type of supporter shows up to a game with the intention of booing their own player without them having put a foot wrong.
"It’s a disgrace, really. Those responsible are the type of people who go to games to cause problems for no reason. Maguire has had a few bad games for Manchester United but he’s never let England down, so for him to get booed for nothing is embarrassing really.”
Rush went on to praise Maguire for not letting the reception impact his performance. He added: "The fact it was only a friendly in which England won comfortably and kept a clean sheet only makes it all the more ridiculous. I’m happy Maguire was able to stand up to it, he didn’t seem fazed by it at all and put in a good shift.
"I can’t really relate to how it must have felt for him – I never got booed in my career – but it was nice to see his England teammates stick up for him with support from Harry Kane and Jordan Henderson, who have quite rightly urged fans to get behind the team in what is a World Cup year."
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