Southgate blamed for Maguire being booed on England duty

Gareth Southgate has been blamed for Harry Maguire being booed by England supporters on Tuesday night.

The Three Lions defeated the Ivory Coast 3-0 at Wembley Stadium in what was a dominant display for Southgate’s men. However, the result was overshadowed by the Manchester United captain Maguire being booed by a section of the home supporters.

Following the game, Southgate hit out at those that did boo. “The reception was a joke, an absolute joke,” he explained.

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“I don’t know how it benefits anybody. We’re either all in it together or we’re not.

“I imagine if you asked a few of them why they did it they probably wouldn’t even be able to answer. It’s mob mentality.”

Southgate’s anger was matched by the likes of Declan Rice and Harry Kane who leapt to the defence of their teammate. However, according to former Southampton striker Matt Le Tissier, the England boss is the one who should be blamed for the boos.

Posting on Twitter, Le Tissier said: “If Gareth Southgate doesn’t want fans booing his players then he should stick to what he said when he took on the job, that he would pick players on form for their clubs. Oh and the fans pay their money to watch so they’re allowed an opinion I’d say.”

Maguire has been the target of fans’ aggression on social media for his performances at Old Trafford this season. Earlier this month he was ironically cheered by the United faithful when he was substituted against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.

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