Roy Keane has criticised England head coach Gareth Southgate for his defence of Harry Maguire after the Manchester United defender was booed by fans at Wembley.
The defender, who has endured a tough season for his club, gave a solid and commanding performance as England secured a comprehensive 3-0 win over 10-man Ivory Coast on Tuesday.
But, before kick-off, some fans jeered the 29-year-old, which has prompted a furious backlash from his teammates and Southgate – who branded the boos ‘an absolute joke’.
But Keane, who has been one of the most vocal critics of Maguire this campaign, downplayed the incident and criticised Southgate’s response, even accusing him of double standards.
‘I think Gareth has made it a bigger story than what it is. Every player gets booed. There’s going to be idiots at football matches. England fans have got a lot of idiots,’ said the Irishman on ITV.
‘And if they’re going to boo Harry Maguire, I think Gareth could have easily said that it’s no big deal. He actually played well, just focus on that.
‘I think he’s made a bigger story than what it is. And Gareth is almost picking and choosing when to support his players. Raheem Sterling had a bust-up two or three years ago, he was bombed out of the squad. He’s left other players out.
‘I remember when Harry was sent off [in October 2020] against Denmark. He didn’t really support him – I thought – when he was walking off the pitch.
‘So I think Gareth’s made a bigger story than what it is. Just get on with the game. He played well! And he’ll get fans back onside by his performances, not by people [like Southgate] reacting to a few boos or social media. Forget about it.
‘Be big enough and man enough just to get on with the game. And he played well – that’s the most important thing.’
Ian Wright similarly played down the boos, saying: ‘We know, we saw, what the England fans are about. We saw them at the start of the Euro final, we saw them at the end of the final how they are.
‘We’re seeing Harry Maguire is getting a lot of stick and that comes from the fact that he plays for one of the biggest clubs in the world, so he’s going to get that on top of it.
‘The way Harry Maguire played, his pass for the second goal, that’s what they should be focusing on, don’t worry about those fans. When Harry Maguire scores in the World Cup, they’ll be cheering!’
