Harry Maguire’s mum has come out in passionate defence of her son following the ongoing torrent of abuse her son has received of late and, indeed, over the past couple of seasons, sharing an emotional statement on social media.
Proud mum Zoe Maguire took to Instagram following the latest raft of online abuse, chants by fans inside Hampden Park and treatment by sections of the media following his performance against Scotland earlier this week.
England might have won the game 3-1 in the end and never looked in much danger of letting the victory slip through their fingers but, in the one real moment they did, it came at the expense of the Manchester United centre-back who sadly scored an own goal within twenty minutes of coming on to the pitch.
Maguire was subbed on after half-time and was immediately subjected to sarcastic, anticipant chants of ‘ooooh’ from the home fans every time he received the ball, as well as ironic cheers after every pass — treatment that clearly resulted in the nervous reaction intended. Now, having been once again mocked in the days since, his mother finally decided she’d had enough.
Harry Maguire’s mum issues emotional statement to her son’s upsetting reception (Credit: Zoe Maguire via Instagram)
Sharing a lengthy post on Instagram, the mum of four wrote: “As a mum seeing the level of negative and abusive comments in which my son is receiving from some fans, pundits and the media is disgraceful and totally unacceptable to any walk of life never mind someone who works his socks off for club and country.
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“I was there in the stand as usual, it’s not acceptable what’s been created, over nothing. I understand that in the football world there are ups and downs, positives and negatives but what Harry receives has gone far beyond “football”. For me seeing him go through what he’s going through is not ok.
“I would hate to have to see any other parents or players go through this in the future, especially the young boys and girls breaking through the ranks today. Harry has a massive heart, and it’s a good job he’s mentally strong and can handle it as others may not be able to. I wish this sort of abuse on nobody!”
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She isn’t the only one who came to defence and urged fans to stand down either, as manager Gareth Southgate gave an equally passionate response defending his off-relied-upon centre-half.
The England manager's had enough and says he's absolutely "livid" about it all.https://t.co/ftw0eGjZ57
It’s no secret that the out-of-favour defender has had a rough go of it over the past couple of seasons and after his holiday drama over in Greece, numerous high-profile mistakes made at club level and now a fair few shakey showings for his country, he simply hasn’t looked the same layer for a while now.
Having been stripped of the Man United captaincy earlier this year and dropped from the starting lineup (at least up until the club suffered multiple injuries along their backline), it hasn’t been a great start to the 2023/24 season either.
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That being said, the growing feeling is that the 30-year-old’s treatment even by his own fans — with England supporters joking “he scored because you’re sh*t” following his own goal on Tuesday — is becoming ridiculous and over the top. Maguire himself shrugged it off after the game, saying the disproportionate focus just “takes the pressure off” his teammates.
Even before his most recent gaffes and links with finally leaving Old Trafford after a torrid past couple of years, United fullback Luke Shaw said this last year that he believes Maguire has suffered “more abuse than he’s ever seen in football”. Do you agree?
Cheshire Police said in a statement: “Police are investigating two deaths on behalf of the coroner following a multiple collision at Oulton Park this afternoon (Monday 5 May).
“Emergency services were called to the scene following the collision which resulted in two riders being fatally injured and another with serious injuries.
“Due to the severity of the incident and ongoing medical intervention, the remainder of the event was cancelled.
“The two riders who sadly died have been named as Owen Jenner (21) and Shane Richardson (29).”
Ole Gunnar Solskjær says just three players have spoken to him since leaving Manchester United
Danny Jones
Club legend and ex-Manchester United player turned manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, has revealed that just three of his former players have been in touch since leaving Old Trafford.
Solskjær was sacked from the role as Man United head coach back in November 2021 after having been given the job permanently following an impressive winning run as interim manager.
The practically perfect start back at the helm of the club – where he starred as the ‘super sub’ during his playing days – was followed by a big slump, and the final decision was ultimately made in the wake of a 4-1 loss to Watford.
However, the ‘Baby-Faced Assassin’s’ popularity among the players and the fans alike was never in question, so it’s come as somewhat of a surprise to many fans that Solskjær has said only a specific trio of United players have got in touch with him since his dream job came to an end.
At least two of the names read out might not surprise fans, as not only was then-club captain Harry Maguire one of his first statement signings, but so was Bruno Fernandes, who now has the armband, and both have remained key players and leadership figures pretty much ever since.
Speaking to BBC Sport on the senior duo, Ole said, “For me, Harry has always been a leader and a fighter”, and never had any doubts about him deputising for him on the pitch, before going on to label both the centre-back and Bruno as “top human beings.”
As for the third, although Victor Lindelöf looks set to leave the club this summer, he’s actually been a long-serving squad member, having joined back in 2017 and been a seemingly popular figure around the dressing room, even if injury problems have sometimes hampered his minutes.
He also went on to discuss other matters regarding the club, including confessing that it’s “hard to watch” United amidst their present struggles, both under previous manager Erik ten Hag and now Ruben Amorim – even with a potential Europa League trophy consolation on the cards.
The retired striker also stated that he found the decision to let midfielder Scott McTominay go more than surprising, especially given the incredible performances he’s put on display since moving to Serie A.
Danny Jones -
14th September 2023 
