Manchester United's £80 million iron guard Maguire has not only been criticised at the club, but also for England and booed by home fans at Wembley. But the Three Lions and celebrities didn't blame the players themselves, but blamed the fans, Ronaldo and even Roy Keane.
After england's match, both manager Southgate and Maguire's teammates criticised fans for not targeting Maguire. Liverpool star Carragher is even more exaggerated, he believes that Maguire's slump is due to his lack of authority in the Manchester United dressing room, which is the impact of Cristiano Ronaldo's return.
In his Daily Telegraph column, Carragher analyzed: "Maguire's difficulty in turning things around at Manchester United lies in the lack of authority in the Manchester United dressing room. Since last summer, Maguire has been facing a debate between him and Cristiano Ronaldo about who should be captain. He did not secure his position as leader, but was questioned, which affected his performance."
Manchester United star Roy Keane angrily denounced England and the British media for favoring Maguire, believing that Southgate clearly favored different players.
"Every player is booed, there are going to be idiots in football and there are plenty of them in England. Gareth [Southgate] just has to say it's not a big deal, he's doing well tonight, and that's enough." Keane said, "But he has different approaches to different players and Sterling was questioned two or three years ago when he abandoned Sterling. As long as Maguire plays well, he can regain the fans, regardless of the boos or criticisms, you are a man, you have to be strong enough to continue playing."
Former Manchester City defender Danny Mills was unhappy with this, attributing Keane to the reason Maguire was targeted by fans. "Keane's influence is incredible." Mills said, "When Keane speaks, we all listen, but he's sometimes particularly vicious. Regardless of how Maguire performs, if Keane makes a comment, we will believe it. Maybe we shouldn't do that."
But Carragher, despite his many excuses, eventually admitted that Maguire could only save his career if he performed well. "Only one person can change that," Carragher added, "Maguire has to prove that he is not only talented, but also strong enough in character and mental strength to stay at United at the end of the season and continue to be England's defensive main force at the World Cup."
England boss Southgate will also not have assured Maguire that he will start at the World Cup, saying: "I will not guarantee any of them because they need to compete for a place. This week we saw Crystal Palace mid-backs playing really well, Ben White playing really well and Mins's record of not conceding goals also stand out. Harry has been the main centre-back in the past and I support him, but I wouldn't tell anyone in mid-March that they were the World Cup starters. This is not the environment I want to create, nor is it the competition we need."
The Manchester United captain can only fight for the position through the next performances. According to the Daily Mail, Maguire remains optimistic, admitting that his performance at Manchester United must improve and believing that the current ordeal will make him stronger.
In the past, many of England's biggest names have also been booed by fans, including David Beckham, Lampard and Wayne Rooney. Among them, after the 1998 World Cup was red, fans even "hanged" Xiaobei's doll on the court.