Jamie Carragher has urged critics to tone down their Harry Maguire stance — even though he says the Manchester United captain is not best-placed to start at the World Cup for England.
Maguire was forced to sit out the Manchester derby on Sunday afternoon with an injury he picked up while away on international duty. He started both games for England last month and was publicly backed by manager Gareth Southgate with the impending finals in Qatar looming.
Having been displaced by Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez in the United team, Maguire faces a battle to get back to his best form in time for the winter tournament. However, while his struggles have been widely documented, dissenters must also recognise what the 29-year-old has achieved, particularly in an England shirt.
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Speaking on Monday Night Football for Sky Sports, pundit Carragher said agreed that the criticism of Maguire has been over the top. He said: "It's about where he is confidence wise. The criticism he is getting, I think is over the top and it's bullying, it has got to that stage, certainly on social media.
"They are almost ridiculing the lad, but then you [should] actually think about what he's done, especially when he's been in an England shirt. You think about some of the great centre-backs we have played with.
"John Terry and Rio Ferdinand are two of the best centre-backs we have ever seen in the Premier League. But they still never achieved what Harry Maguire has done with England in terms of getting to a final and a semi-final.
"I know it's a team game and Harry Maguire is not as good as those players. But in an England shirt he has achieved a lot, but he's in a difficult forum to start in a World Cup if he's not playing for Manchester United."
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