A number of Manchester United supporters have sprung to the defence of captain Harry Maguire after he was booed by England supporters after stepping off the bench in Tuesday evening's embarrassing 4-0 defeat to Hungary.
Just three days after facing Italy in a virtually empty Molineux, supporters were present for the Three Lions' latest UEFA nations League outing, as England suffered their biggest defeat on home soil since 1928. After trailing 1-0 at half-time, Gareth Southgate's side collapsed after half-time, conceding a further three goals in the space of just 19 second-half minutes.
It was a bafflingly poor performance, meaning Southgate and his players have plenty to work on ahead of the World Cup starting in Qatar in late-November. The England boss made nine changes to the side that drew 0-0 with Italy on Saturday, with Maguire among those to drop out.
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However, the United man did step off the bench with just five minutes left to play, replacing Bukayo Saka. The Three Lions were 3-0 down at that stage and supporters inside the stadium were perplexed by the decision to introduce a centre-back with the damage having already been done.
As Maguire jogged onto the pitch, boos rang out from all four sides of Molineux. It created a hostile and intimidating entrance for the United defender, who has been one of England's best performers over the past few years.
Maguire experienced a difficult campaign for United in 2021/22, but he has remained at the forefront of Southgate's plans. The boos directed at the defender — who had been sat on the bench for practically the whole evening — were unjustified and left United's supporters unimpressed.
Below, MEN Sport has taken a close look at what they had to say on social media:
As you can see from the messages displayed in the tweets above, many United supporters felt the booing of Maguire was uncalled for. He has been a commanding figure for England over the past few years, helping them reach both the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup and final of the 2020 European Championship.
On the booing that greeted the full-time whistle, Southgate said: "I understand the reaction in the stadium, what I would say is that in these sets of fixtures, these players have been unbelievable for the country. They [the fans] have to stay with them.
"Tonight was the sort of night that my predecessors have had. It's important to stand. I'm not going to say it doesn't hurt."
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