‘He picks and chooses when to support players’ – Roy Keane slams Southgate for defending Maguire from England boo boys
ROY KEANE has slammed Gareth Southgate’s response to Harry Maguire being booed by his own fans at Wembley last night.
The Manchester United skipper’s name was jeered as it was read out before England’s 3-0 victory over Ivory Coast, while he also received stick when he received the ball early on.
Southgate, 51, was furious with the fans’ treatment of Maguire – labelling it an “absolute joke”.
Keane, however, feels that the England boss has gone over the top.
Speaking on ITV, he said: “Every player gets booed. There is going to be idiots at football matches – England have a lot of idiots.
“Gareth could have easily said tonight ‘it is no big deal’. He actually played well tonight, just focus on that.”
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Keane then accused Southgate of having double standards.
The Irishman cited an incident three years ago, when Raheem Sterling was dropped from the squad following a training ground bust up with Joe Gomez.
He continued: “He is almost picking and choosing when to support his players.
“Sterling had a bust-up two or three years ago and was bombed out of the squad, he’s left other players out.
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“I remember when Harry was sent off last year against Denmark and he [Southgate] didn’t really support him when he was walking off the pitch.
“I think he has made it a bigger story than it is. Just get on with the game.
“He played well and he will get fans back on side with his performances, not by people reacting to a few boos or social media. Be big enough and man enough to get on with the game.”
Southgate hasn’t been the only member of England’s camp to come out in support of Maguire.
What have we become?
Jordan Henderson
Skipper Harry Kane claimed that the booing was “just not right”.
While Jordan Henderson asked: “What have we become?”
Declan Rice labelled it a “total embarrassment”.
Maguire himself, meanwhile, appears to be trying to shake the incident off.
He tweeted this morning: “Enjoyable week playing for my country ”