Ralf Rangnick has sent his full support to Harry Maguire after a bomb threat was sent to his house.
The Manchester United defender has come under intense scrutiny for the Red Devils all season and in the wake of the Old Trafford club's defeat by Liverpool, the centre-half was once again singled out for his individual errors.
After the Anfield mauling, the 29-year-old was subject to a bomb threat which resulted in Cheshire police with sniffer dogs being sent to his house, where he lives with his fiancee Fern Hawkins and their two daughters. The home was extensively searched by authorities following an email claiming a bomb had been left there.
A statement from the police explained how they had been "called to reports of a bomb threat at an address in the Wilmslow area". It went on to say: "No evacuations took place, but as a precautionary measure a police explosives dog has attended the address this afternoon, Thursday, 21 April, to conduct a search of the gardens and surrounding area."
Speaking on Friday, interim boss Rangnick condemned the incident and was fully behind United's skipper. He said: "I haven’t seen him because I only got to know about this terrible, terrible thing yesterday afternoon and since then I haven’t been able to speak with him.
"This is another bad sign of the crazy world we’re living in and obviously, I feel very sorry for Harry that he had that terrible experience. He knows that we are all behind him, the club is behind him, everybody, the players, his teammates. It’s sad enough that crazy things like that happen."
It's claimed that Rangnick will give Maguire some respite in light of the ordeal as he's set to be omitted from the starting line-up against Arsenal at the weekend.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Is it wise to take Maguire out of the spotlight at the moment? Comment below
But according to The Athletic, while the level of security around Maguire has been increased in the wake of the incident, he is adamant he still wishes to travel to the Emirates with his teammates. Maguire responded to the incident with a spokesman saying: "The safety of his family and those around him is obviously Harry's number one priority. He will continue to prepare for this weekend's fixture as normal and we will not be commenting in any further detail at this time."
The Sun also claims Maguire has confided in friends that he will not let the actions of one "cowardly fan" force him out. "If that proves to be the case [that a fan was responsible], they are an utter disgrace to the name of this proud football club," a source told the publication.
