Roy Keane admits he feels sorry for Manchester United captain Harry Maguire

Roy Keane has admitted he feels sorry for Harry Maguire, and has warned Manchester United they can’t take the captaincy off him now.

The defender finds himself under the spotlight again after he was booed by England fans at Wembley on Tuesday during the friendly against Ivory Coast. Maguire was jeered by a section of supporters when his name was announced prior to kick-off, and then when he took his first touches during the game.

The reception was slammed by Gareth Southgate, with the England boss calling the booing an “absolute joke”. Some of Maguire’s international team-mates have also rallied around him on social media and in interviews.

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The reaction comes amid what has been a poor campaign for the 29-year-old at club level, with Maguire among a number of players underperforming at United this season. A number of questions have also been asked about his suitability as the club’s captain.

Keane — who criticised Southgate for overreacting in defending the centre-back on Tuesday night — has been one of Maguire’s fiercest critics this season, having slammed him for his performances and comments at various stages. But the former United captain though took a softer approach when asked about him during the most recent episode on Gary Neville’s The Overlap YouTube channel.

“I feel for him,” Keane said. “When I got the captaincy I had been there a number of years. I was used to the club and the culture of the club. I learned from other captains, what they did.

“And we were a winning team, which makes everything a lot easier. When Harry came to the club and got the captaincy, it made me worry about the other players, that none of them were able to take