Harry Maguire booed by England fans during Ivory Coast friendly

England defender Harry Maguire was booed by fans at Wembley before and during the friendly with Ivory Coast on Tuesday night.

The Manchester United centre-back’s name was jeered when it was read out by the stadium announcer and he was booed again when he first touched the ball and from then on in the first half.

His selection has caused some controversy among fans due to his below-par performances for his club this season, with manager Gareth Southgate facing questions over whether he should still be in the England side.

Maguire was left out of the side in the 2-1 win over Switzerland on Saturday, but was returned to the starting XI on Tuesday, with Southgate referring back to his good international form, with the 29-year-old an important part of the runs to the World Cup 2018 semi-final and Euro 2020 final.

‘He got us to a World Cup semi-final and the European Championship final so there’s no doubt he’s more than capable of playing at the highest level,’ Southgate said.

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‘He was very good for us in the autumn and the club are in a difficult moment. There could be any number of reasons for that. But that doesn’t mean that players can be poor for a couple of years and then still find their way in and sometimes it depends on competition for positions.

‘We’ve obviously left some forward players out who haven’t been in good form. But there’s direct replacements, experienced replacements for those players. So as I say, it is a complicated decision.’

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