"Never known a player treated the way he is" - Gareth Southgate calls out pundits for the 'ridiculous treatment' of Manchester United's Harry Maguire
England manager Gareth Southgate has had a go at pundits for their incessant criticism of Manchester United defender Harry Maguire.
Maguire, 30, was a questionable selection in Southgate's team for the ongoing international break, considering his lack of game time in club football this season. The Englishman's only competitive appearance of the season was a 23-minute cameo in the 3-1 Premier League defeat at Arsenal on September 3.
Harry Maguire was culpable for Ukraine's opener in the 1-1 UEFA Euro 2024 draw in Warsaw last week. A few days later, the Englishman was one of the few blots in an otherwise impressive performance in the Three Lions' 3-1 friendly win over Scotland on Tuesday, September 12 in Hampden.
Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham had put England two-up inside 35 minutes. However, Scotland - who are perfect in five Euro 2024 qualifiers - reduced arrears midway through the second half, thanks to a Maguire own goal. The Three Lions, though, restored their two-goal cushion with a Harry Kane strike nine minutes from time.
Following the game, Gareth Southgate tore into English critics for their 'ridiculous' treatment of the struggling Maguire (via utdreport):
"There has been ridiculous treatment of him for a long period of time — It’s a joke. I’ve never known a player treated (the) way he is by our own pundits. It’s beyond anything I’ve ever seen."
It is pertinent to note that Maguire didn't start the game, only coming on for the second half. The Manchester United defender is only the second substitute to score an own goal for The Three Lions, following Eric Dier against Australia in 2016.
How has Manchester United defender Harry Maguire fared for England?
Despite his struggles in club football, Harry Maguire has been a regular fixture for England. However, after his lacklustre outing against Ukraine last week, the Manchester United man was demoted to the bench against Scotland.
Nevertheless, that didn't spark a turnaround in his fortunes, as Maguire turned one into his own net to hand Scotland a lifeline in a game The Three Lions were dominating.
Since his debut in a 1-0 win at Lithuania in the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Harry Maguire has made 59 appearances for Gareth Southgate's side, bagging seven goals and two assists.
The Manchester United defender was an integral part of The Three Lions team that finished third in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, and lost to Italy on penalties in the UEFA Euro 2020 final three years later.
Maguire also played all but 20 minutes of England's campaign at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where they lost 2-1 to France in the quarterfinals.