‘I would not say I am a person who struggles with pressure mentally’: Harry Maguire opens up on England abuse

Harry Maguire has been facing the wrath of fans and pundits alike for his poor football form. The 29-year-old defender, bought by United for £80 million from Leicester City in 2019, has come under fire for his performances in recent months. This has often resulted in abuse from supporters on the ground and on social media.

The criticism of Maguire has intensified in recent weeks, with some fans calling for him to be dropped from the team, and he was also ridiculed by Scottish fans during England’s 3-1 win at Hampden Park on Tuesday night, particularly after scoring the own goal that gave Scotland hope during the second half.

Reflecting on it, Maguire said, “I would not say I am a person who struggles with pressure mentally”.

“I have been through a lot in the last couple of years and I have been Manchester United captain for nearly four years,” he was quoted as saying by the Mirror.

“You take a huge lot of responsibility and everything that comes with it – and that is a lot of bad as well as good. (At Hampden Park) they piled pressure on myself. I would not say I am used to it but I can deal with it.”

“I am disappointed with the own goal but that is football. You are a centre-back and you put yourselves in those positions. I am really pleased with how I performed in the second half and how I dealt with it.”

Even in his club, United manager, Erik Ten Hag, said that stripped of the team captaincy and said that Maguire should leave Manchester United if he is not confident enough to fight for his place.

Explaining his decision to stay at MUFC, Maguire said that it was because of a combination of his United contractual arrangements and his desire to fight back into the team.

“Well, I think it was a bit of both,” Maguire said.