- Harry Maguire scored an own goal during England’s 3-1 win over Scotland
- Jamie Carragher has urged Gareth Southgate to drop him ‘for his own protection’
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Andre Onana shouted ‘outrageous’ at Harry Maguire in pre-season in a bid to win over Manchester United fans following his £47million move from Inter Milan, Jamie Carragher claims.
Maguire, who has been stripped of his captaincy at Old Trafford and has continued to struggle for regular playing time under Erik ten Hag this season, suffered another unfortunate moment on international duty on Tuesday when he scored an own goal against Scotland during England’s 3-1 win at Hampdenpark .
Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate has consistently come to Maguire’s defense despite his lack of minutes at Old Trafford, insisting it was an ‘absolute joke’ that fans booed him on Tuesday.
But the own goal only puts more pressure on Southgate’s decision to keep selecting him ahead of next summer’s England European Championship campaign in Germany.
Liverpool legend Carragher admitted he feels sorry for Maguire and urged Southgate to drop the centre-back ‘for his own protection’ until his career takes a turn at Manchester United or elsewhere.
Jamie Carragher says Andre Onana (above) shouted ‘scandalously’ at Harry Maguire in pre-season in a bid to win over Manchester United fans following his £47m move from Inter
Maguire (right) suffered another unfortunate moment on international duty on Tuesday evening when he scored an own goal against Scotland during England’s 3-1 win at Hampden Park
The centre-back has become a scapegoat among Manchester United and England supporters
Maguire has often been a scapegoat for both Manchester United and England fans in recent seasons, and Carragher claims Onana deliberately tried to endear himself to the Red Devils supporters by shouting ‘outrageous’ at him in pre-season.
Onana made his frustrations known during United’s 3-2 defeat to Borussia Dortmund in July, giving his defender an earring for giving away possession and allowing the opposition on goal.
In his column for The TelegraphCarragher said: “Manchester United fans have jeered Maguire during pre-season matches in 2022 and 2023.
‘One of the most unsavory incidents of all took place during the friendly with Borussia Dortmund in July, when new signing Andre Onana started shouting at Maguire, who in my opinion was disgracefully playing to the gallery to endear himself to the United fans.
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New Manchester United goalkeeper Onana rushed to Maguire and shouted at him for giving the ball away during a pre-season match against Borussia Dortmund earlier this summer
Onana has been a popular figure at Old Trafford so far, replacing David de Gea as United’s No. 1
Gareth Southgate (above) branded the booing against Maguire ‘an absolute joke’ and remained loyal to the Red Devils star despite his lack of minutes in the Premier League.
‘I watched that in disbelief, but it said everything about what went wrong. Maguire was still the club captain at the time. He should have reacted with anger, put Onana in his coffin and demanded respect.
“Instead, he has the personality of someone whose trust and authority have been completely violated.”
Carragher also believes Maguire’s death as captain ‘gained momentum’ when Red Devils legend Cristiano Ronaldo was at the club following his return in 2021.
“It was a similar story when Cristiano Ronaldo returned and reports emerged of infighting in the United dressing room,” he added. ‘Then the undermining of Maguire gained momentum.’
United paid £80 million to sign Maguire from Leicester in 2019, but now the centre-back is well down the pecking order with Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof all ahead of him under Ten Hag.
Maguire, 30, turned down a move to West Ham this summer and stayed at Old Trafford
Carragher also urged England boss Southgate to drop the centre-back ‘for his own protection’
The England star was closely linked with West Ham during the summer transfer window, but the defender ultimately turned down the move.
According to Carragher, Maguire leaving Old Trafford to join the Hammers would have given him a perfect opportunity to regain respect.
“He missed the chance to throw a few punches when he saw off West Ham in the summer,” said the former Reds defender.
‘David Moyes would have had the perfect manager in an ideal team because of Maguire’s qualities. I’m sure he would have been a success there.’