Stuart Pearce was "astounded" after Harry Maguire was loudly booed by fans during Manchester United's pre-season win against Crystal Palace.
The United captain was jeered by some people in the crowd before the game kicked off and again during the opening stages as Maguire passed the ball out of play with less than a minute on the clock. The Reds' centre-back was also booed in an England shirt when they played Ivory Coast at Wembley back in March, with Gareth Southgate labelling it an "absolute joke".
This time it was Maguire's former England U-21 coach who came to his defence as Pearce criticised the section of fans inside the stadium who booed the player that divides opinion among the United fan base.
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Pearce told talkSPORT : “I’ve been at Wembley when there was a suggestion that that was the case as well. I’m quite astounded.I capped him as an Under-21 player so I know him, not particularly well, but I know him, and he’s a good kid.
“I think what’s happened is that a very, very small minority have started this, the media have picked up on it and all of a sudden it just seems to have grown legs. I’m not sure that some of the people that are booing Harry Maguire really understand why they’re booing him, to be honest. I think a little bit of it is, ‘Everyone’s booing Harry Maguire, so I’m going to join in as well’.”
Conversely, the United captain was cheered when they played Melbourne Victory in the same stadium just a few days prior to the Crystal Palace win.
United swap Melbourne for Perth when they travel to the west coast of Australia for their last match Down Under against Aston Villa on Saturday. United have had the perfect start to pre-season so far as Erik ten Hag's side have clicked into gear as they move from strength to strength under the Dutchman.
Despite the off-field distractions, United's new manager will be hoping that it will be the performance of his players against Villa that will have everyone talking as they look to make it four wins out of four with less than three weeks to go until the start of the 2022/23 season.
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