(Reuters) – Harry Maguire said he can deal with hostile treatment from opposition supporters and that it takes the pressure off his England team mates after the defender was mocked by Scotland fans following his own goal on Tuesday.
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The 30-year-old Manchester United centre back was brought on at halftime in Glasgow with England leading 2-0 before inadvertently handing the hosts a lifeline by clumsily prodding a low cross into his own net in the 67th minute.
Maguire described his treatment by Scottish fans as “a little bit of banter”.
“It pretty much takes the pressure away from my team mates and puts it all on myself,” he told British media after England’s 3-1 win. “It makes them play better, for sure.
“We knew coming here, when you hear the national anthem and the way they disrespect that, 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.”
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Maguire, who joined United from Leicester City for 80 million pounds ($99.94 million) in 2019, was stripped of the club captaincy by manager Erik ten Hag in July.
He has struggled for first-team football at the Premier League side and was linked with a move away from Old Trafford in the close season.
“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 of games,” he said.
($1 = 0.8005 pounds)
(Reporting by Pearl Josephine Nazare in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
-TheStar