England defender Harry Maguire mentioned that the “banter” from Scotland fans during their 3-1 win at Hampden Park on Tuesday helped relieve the pressure on his teammates. Despite being taunted by the passionate home crowd, especially after his second-half own goal, Maguire felt he could handle the treatment.
Gareth Southgate, the manager of the Three Lions, characterized the situation as a “joke” after the game, but Maguire wasn’t too bothered by it. He explained, “It pretty much takes the pressure away from my teammates and puts it all on myself. It makes them play better, for sure. It is a little bit of banter and it is a hostile environment, coming away to Scotland, but we have dominated from start to finish. We knew it would be hostile, and in the second half, I got most of it. I am happy to go with that, don’t worry about that.”
Maguire has only played a few minutes for Manchester United this season under manager Erik ten Hag, raising questions about his selection for the national team. West Ham had offered him a potential move away from Old Trafford in the summer, but they couldn’t reach an agreement, and United was content to keep him.
Maguire emphasized, “Of course, my England career is a big priority — and so is my club career. I considered everything, and I know that at the moment, when I have not started a game in the first four games of the season, the story comes to me. The first four weeks were hard because it was one game a week, and the manager didn’t select me, but we have lots of games coming up now, and I am sure I will play lots.”
United’s next match is against Brighton at home on Saturday, followed by the start of their Champions League campaign against Bayern Munich next Wednesday.
