Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane has blasted England manager Gareth Southgate for backing Harry Maguire.
Southgate expressed his anger on England fans and labeled them ‘a joke’ after Maguire was jeered in their Tuesday night friendly win over Ivory Coast but Keane was having none of it.
“I think Gareth has made it a bigger story than what it is. Every player gets booed. There is going to be idiots at football matches. England fans have got a lot of idiots.
“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,” said the Irishman on ITV.
“I remember when Harry was sent off (in October 2020) against Denmark. He didn’t really support him. 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.”
Maguire has endured a difficult outing with Manchester United with some calling him to be stripped off of the captaincy.
