"Of course it's him," "Can't make it up" - Fans react as Manchester United's Harry Maguire scores own goal in England's friendly against Scotland
Fans have reacted hilariously after Harry Maguire scored an own goal in England's friendly win over Scotland on Tuesday (September 12) night.
The Three Lions were 3-1 victors on the night courtesy of goals from Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane. The two nations played a friendly to commemorate 150 years of international football.
Maguire has been dealing with a nightmare period at Old Trafford which has seen him drop down the pecking order. He was selected by Gareth Southgate for the Three Lions' squad despite playing just 23 minutes of action for the Red Devils this season.
The 30-year-old tends to fare much better for England but his luck didn't improve on the international stage on Tuesday. The veteran defender slid to try and prevent Andy Robertson's asking cross but the ball trickled past goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.
The former Manchester United captain looked to the ground in disbelief and fans at Hampden Park were already giving him a torrid time. He had looked calm in possession but his own goal has allowed fans to continue their constant criticism of him.
However, Maguire's own goal has been a major talking point, with one fan on social media not surprised to see his struggles continue:
"I'm in tears man of course it's him."
Another fan posted:
"Maguire own goal. You can't make it up."
Here's how fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to the Red Devils defender's own goal:
Neil Lennon claims Manchester United star Harry Maguire is becoming England manager Gareth Southgate's 'pet'
Maguire's lack of game time for Manchester United led to many asking why Southgate had selected him for the Three Lions. He is fourth choice for Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford but his national team manager still keeps faith in him.
One player who many reckon deserves a consistent run in Southgate's starting lineup is AC Milan's Fikayo Tomori. The former Chelsea centre-back starred for the Rossonerri last season and was part of the side that made it to the UEFA Champions League semifinals.
Neil Lennon alluded to this when assessing Southgate's continued selection of Manchester United's Maguire. He said (via The Mirror):
"Tomori, played in the semi-final of the Champions League - plays for AC Milan at the top of Serie A. Play him! Harry's depreciating all the time - every week and every month, the less he plays."
Lennon added:
"You need those minutes on the pitch. The other thing is, he's under much more scrutiny than anyone else because they'll be this sort of perspective that he's a pet - he's Southgate's favorite. And there is an argument to that."
Maguire has earned 59 caps for England, scoring seven goals. He was named in the 2018 FIFA World Cup and Euro 2020 Team of the Tournaments.