England’s Harry Maguire brushed off the taunts from Scottish fans during Tuesday’s friendly at Hampden Park, considering it “a little bit of banter” that he can handle. The Manchester United defender endured ironic applause for his passes from the Scottish crowd, culminating in an unfortunate own goal, but Maguire remains unfazed.
“It pretty much takes the pressure away from my team-mates and puts it all on myself,” Maguire commented after the match. “It makes them play better, for sure.”
England manager Gareth Southgate condemned the treatment of Maguire, labelling it “ridiculous.” He argued that the criticism the defender has faced is unjust, considering his contributions to the national team in recent years.
Maguire, who played pivotal roles in England’s 2018 World Cup semi-final and Euro 2020 final runs, has faced a dip in form and lost his starting place at Manchester United, along with the captaincy. Despite these setbacks, he remains a fixture in the England squad.
The 30-year-old has been a target of criticism both in the press and on social media, resulting in boos from his own fans during England and United matches.
In a separate sporting event, Great Britain’s Davis Cup Finals campaign began with a thrilling 2-1 victory over Australia. Debutant Jack Draper secured a hard-fought win over Thanasi Kokkinakis, while Dan Evans defeated the 12th-ranked Alex de Minaur.
Although Britain had already secured the tie, their loss in the doubles match to Australia’s Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell could have implications as they vie for qualification in the later stages of the competition.
Britain is one of four nations participating in the group stage event at Manchester’s AO Arena, alongside Australia, France, and Switzerland. The round-robin format will determine the top two countries advancing to the knockout stage in Malaga in November.
In women’s football, England’s Keira Walsh will miss the upcoming Women’s Nations League matches against Scotland and the Netherlands due to a calf injury. Tottenham striker Bethany England is also sidelined with an injury, replaced by Manchester City’s Jess Park.
These injuries are the only changes to the Lionesses squad that reached the Women’s World Cup final. Sarina Wiegman’s 24-player squad includes recalls for Lucy Staniforth and Maya le Tissier, demonstrating the depth of talent available to the England women’s team.
England’s absence is due to hip surgery she underwent on September 6, which will also see her miss the start of the Women’s Super League season.
