Maguire, who has been stripped of Manchester United’s captaincy and told he has no future at the club, came on in the second half of Scotland’s friendly international encounter at Hampden this evening.
Despite the fact that the visitors were leading 2-0 when he entered the field, the defender was booed whenever he touched the ball – and he scored an own goal by turning an Andy Robertson cross into his own net.
Southgate, on the other hand, was encouraged to hear the 59-cap player’s name screamed by the travelling fans during the 3-1 triumph and launched a passionate defense of the 30-year-old after the final whistle.
“From the perspective of a Scotland fan, I understand and have no complaints about anything they did,” he said.
“However, Harry’s treatment is the result of the ridiculous treatment he’s received for a long time.”
“It’s a farce — I’ve never seen a player treated so badly by our own pundits and commentators.” I’m quite enthusiastic about it.
“He’s been a key member of England’s most successful team for decades.” He’s been a rock, a pillar, and the balls he’s showed, the balls he demonstrates every time he goes out there, are incredible. He’s a fantastic player, and we’re all rooting for him.
“Harry was OK after the game. We had a good win, he played a key role in it, and he faced the media like he always does. Everything about him says a lot about his personality.”
Southgate, who was chastised following England’s 1-1 tie with Ukraine in a Euro 2024 qualifier in Poland on Saturday, was happy with his team’s performance against Scotland.
“We wanted to give a controlled performance on the ball so that we could quieten the fantastic atmosphere,” he said.
“With our passing from behind, we posed a real threat, and our work without the ball was fantastic.” It was a tremendous performance with an even better outcome. I simply believe we did an outstanding job. We were successful in eliminating the threat posed by Scotland.
“Jude Bellingham was outstanding. We suspected that position would cause issues for Scotland. Their midfield can have an impact on games if given the chance, which we did not allow them.”
“The Scottish fans should be really proud of the job Steve Clarke is doing and the progress the team has made,” Southgate said.
“I’m sure there will be a reaction here to the result,” he says, “but we’ve only had that reaction for three days since the Ukraine game, and that’s important to understand.”
