Harry Maguire’s mother has spoken out against what she calls the “disgraceful” abuse that has been directed toward her son. This comes after the England defender insisted that he is able to handle the pressure of being in the spotlight for both club and country.
The Scotland fans jeered the Manchester United center back every time he touched the ball while England defeated Scotland 3-1 in a friendly match in Glasgow on Tuesday. It was the 59th time that the player had represented his country.
His evening at Hampden Park was made more worse by the fact that he scored an own goal in the second half, which gave the home team hope.
When addressing to the media after the game, England’s manager Gareth Southgate railed at what he called the “ridiculous treatment” given to the defense.
“It’s a joke,” Southgate remarked. “I’ve never known a player to be treated the way he is—not by the Scottish fans, by our own commentators, pundits, or whatever it is,” I said. “I’ve never known a player to be treated as badly as he is.”
Even the man’s mother, Zoe Maguire-Wilkinson, has stepped forward to support her son, who is currently under attack.
“As a mum, seeing the level of negative and abusive comments which my son is receiving from some fans, pundits, and the media is disgraceful and totally unacceptable to any walk of life,” she wrote on Instagram. “Never mind someone who works his socks off for club and country,” she added.
It’s not acceptable what’s been produced, over nothing, and I was there in the stand as usual. I am aware that in the world of football there are highs and lows as well as positives and drawbacks, but what Harry receives goes well beyond what can be categorized as “football.”
“Harry has a massive heart, and it’s a good thing that he’s mentally strong and can handle it because other people may not be able to.” [Case in point] “Harry has a massive heart.” I do not wish this kind of mistreatment on anyone!”
Maguire was a mainstay in the United lineup two years ago and was named to the all-tournament team at the European Championships for his efforts in getting Southgate’s squad to the championship game.
But Maguire has been under growing pressure as a result of a downturn in form and few opportunities under manager Erik ten Hag. Ten Hag recently removed Maguire from his role as captain at Old Trafford and replaced him with Bruno Fernandes.
Despite the jeering from the Scottish spectators, the defender, who is 30 years old, left Tuesday’s match with a positive attitude.
“It pretty much takes the pressure away from my team-mates and puts it all on myself,” he stated about the situation. “There’s no question that it helps them play better.
“Coming away to Scotland is a hostile environment, and it is a little bit of banter here and there,” she said.
“I would not say that I am the type of guy that has mental difficulties while under pressure. I have been through a lot in the past several years, and I have been the captain of Manchester United for over four years.”
Brendan Rodgers, the manager of Celtic, who had a brief working relationship with Harry Maguire at Leicester before the latter moved to Old Trafford in 2019, stated that abuse from United fans was at the foundation of the problem.
He said, “I feel it to be a tremendous shame,” and I quote: ” “He’s a nice guy, and it’s obvious that he’s a world-class player. Unfortunately, the focus and noise around him have probably been created by his own club supporters, and that has spilled out onto supporters of other clubs.”