Paul Ince disagreed with Roy Keane over Manchester United captain Harry Maguire being subject to boos on England duty. Maguire was strangely jeered by some sections of the Wembley crowd during the build-up to victory over Ivory Coast on Tuesday night.
The 29-year-old has struggled for form at Old Trafford and beyond this season, but was a key part of the national squad at Euro 2020 and the 2018 World Cup before that. Maguire produced a solid display against the Ivorians and England largely went untroubled against their 10-man opponents.
Boos towards Maguire were condemned post-match by Gareth Southgate and England teammates such as Declan Rice, Harry Kane, Jack Grealish and Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson. However, former United midfielder Keane thinks reaction from Southgate was way over the top.
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Speaking about the incident, ITV pundit Keane said: "I think Gareth has made it a bigger story than what it is. Every player gets booed. There's going to be idiots at football matches. England fans have got a lot of idiots.
"If they're going to boo Harry Maguire, I think Gareth could have easily said that it's no big deal. He played well, just focus on that. He'll get fans back onside by his performances, not by people [like Southgate] reacting to a few boos or social media. Forget about it."
However, that particular stand-point is not shared by Ince as he shared his views on The United Stand podcast. He said: "I was at the game last night. It actually was disgusting.
"I was sat in the studio, so it was hard to hear the boos, but I heard something. I wasn't sure who it was directed at, so it was only later on they were saying fans were booing Harry Maguire.
"It's a minority, but I don't understand the reasons behind it. You are talking about someone who has played in the Euros final and a World Cup semi-final. If you talk about his form, he has always played [well] for England."
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