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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Sam Meade

Wayne Rooney offers support to Harry Maguire as Man Utd captain granted retrial

Wayne Rooney has sympathy for Harry Maguire who has endured a difficult week in the aftermath of his guilty verdict.

The Manchester United captain was arrested for his involvement in an alleged incident on the Greek island of Mykonos.

He was subsequently found guilty of assaulting a police officer, swearing, resisting arrest and bribery.

Maguire maintains his innocence but was withdrawn from England's squad for their upcoming games against Iceland and Denmark.

Rooney himself was subjected to harsh criticism at points in his career and knows about the challenges the 27-year-old will be facing.

Harry Maguire maintains his innocence (Steve Reigate Daily Express)

"It's not easy," England and United's all-time top scorer Rooney, who is with the same agency as Maguire, told talkSPORT.

"Obviously, I've made my own mistakes, I've had my own issues with the law both in England and abroad as well, so I know how difficult that can be.

"But I just think with Harry, he's not that character at all."
Maguire's legal team have lodged an appeal after he was handed a 21-month suspended prison sentence.

United have said the appeal nullifies the conviction and means Maguire has no criminal record ahead of a full retrial.

Wayne Rooney has sympathy for the Man Utd skipper (PA)

It is understood no date has yet been fixed for the appeal. United recognise it could be a number of months before it is heard and their public support for the player is understood to be an indicator that they will keep him as club captain.

A club spokesman said on Wednesday: "An appeal against yesterday's verdict was lodged this morning by Harry's legal team.

"In accordance with the Greek judicial process, the filing of an appeal extinguishes the initial court verdict and nullifies the conviction. The appeal has been accepted and will lead to a full retrial in a more senior court.

"This means that Harry has no criminal record and is once again presumed innocent until proven guilty. Accordingly, he is not subject to any international travel restrictions."

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