Zoe Maguire, the mother of Harry Maguire, has criticized certain fans and pundits for their negative and abusive remarks aimed at her son in response to his recent performance.
The centre-back has faced challenges in the past year at Man United and is often on the substitutes’ bench under manager Erik ten Hag.
Despite his club struggles, the United star has remained a consistent presence in the England national team. He was in the starting lineup for the 1-1 draw against Ukraine last week and came off the bench in the friendly against Scotland.
However, during the match at Hampden Park, Maguire faced jeers and boos from the fans, and he received criticism from some pundits after conceding an own goal in England’s 3-1 victory.
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Zoe has now slammed the ‘negative’ and ‘abusive’ comments aimed at her son in an Instagram post.
She went on to describe such behaviour as ‘disgraceful’ and ‘completely unacceptable’ in any context, emphasizing that her son has put in tremendous effort for both his club and his country over the years.
As quoted by the Guardian, she said:
“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, never mind someone who works his socks off for club and country.”
“I was there in the stand [at Hampden] as usual. It’s not acceptable what’s been created, over nothing. I understand that in the football world, there are ups and downs, positives and negatives but what Harry receives has gone far beyond ‘football’.”
“For me seeing him go through what he’s going through is not ok. I would hate to have to see any other parents or players go through this in the future, especially the young boys and girls breaking through the ranks today.”
“Harry has a massive heart and it’s a good job he’s mentally strong and can handle it as others may not be able to. I wish this sort of abuse on nobody.”
During the summer, Maguire had the opportunity to explore a new challenge away from United, with the Hammers reaching an agreement on a transfer fee. However, the move did not materialize.
The former captain had sought a compensation package to leave the club, but the Red Devils couldn’t accommodate this request due to financial issues caused by Financial Fair Play regulations.
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In the current season, Maguire has only made one substitute appearance for the club, but this hasn’t affected his playing time for the England national team, where he has the support of manager Gareth Southgate.
Criticism has flown in due to the centre-back’s performances falling short of expectations, and some believe that his mother’s statement may not help his situation going forward.
Instead, there may be increased scrutiny on Maguire in the upcoming weeks, with manager Ten Hag likely facing questions about the defender during his press conference tomorrow.
