Gareth Southgate has ‘poured petrol on the fire’ in his defence on Harry Maguire, Chris Sutton told Ian Ladyman on Mail Sport’s podcast It’s All Coming Up on Thursday.
Maguire, who came on as a substitute during England’s 3-1 win over Scotland on Tuesday, came under fire once again after scoring an own goal in the second half at Hampden Park.
Southgate has continued to select the Manchester United centre-half despite his lack of game time at Old Trafford, with Raphael Varane, Lisandro Martinez and Victor Lindelof all preferred over the England international in Erik ten Hag’s pecking order.
Southgate also took a swipe at the media’s treatment of him, condemning England’s ‘own commentators and pundits’ for criticising Maguire.
England manager Gareth Southgate has ‘poured petrol on the fire’ in his defence on Harry Maguire, Chris Sutton (right) explained on Mail Sport’s podcast It’s All Coming Up on Thursday
The England international (right) came under fire from fans and pundits once again on Tuesday night after scoring an own goal during England’s 3-1 victory over Scotland at Hampden Park
Southgate took a swipe at the media’s treatment of the defender, condemning England’s ‘own commentators and pundits’ for criticising Maguire since he lost his place at Manchester United
According to Sutton, Southgate has only fanned the flames by slamming the media.
When asked whether he expects the Maguire saga to die down soon, he told Ladyman: ‘Absolutely not and I don’t think it was helped actually by the England manager coming out trying to stick up for Harry Maguire and addressing the situation.
‘He’s basically just pouring petrol onto the flames. I think that’s brought a greater attention to it. Harry Maguire’s mum, fair play to her for coming out and sticking up for her son. It’s really difficult for families. I know from first-hand experience the abuse I took at Chelsea.
‘I’m not comparing that to Harry Maguire and what happened at Hampden the other night and what happened at Arsenal to him previously.
‘But families hurt when they see members of their family take abuse. And some of it is over the top. Let’s get it right.
‘But what I would say is Harry Maguire is a high-profile footballer. He’s captain of Manchester United – or was captain, I know Bruno’s taken on that role now.
‘He’s an England international and has come under scrutiny over the last couple of seasons because he lost his place at Manchester United. There’s been the notion that that has affected his England career. I get that.
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Ladyman (left) went on to explain how he, and the rest of the written media, were told in their usual debrief after the match that Southgate did not want to answer questions about Maguire
The England defender has lost his starting spot and been stripped of captaincy at Old Trafford
Sutton fears that Maguire, who turned down a move to West Ham this summer, will struggle to keep his place in the England team if he continues to lack game time at Manchester United
‘I don’t think Harry Maguire should have gone to the World Cup, but when he did go to the World Cup, he performed well. He’s played 29 minutes this season, he scored an own goal at Hampden the other night, he took a hell of a lot of abuse from Arsenal fans at the Emirates, but to have a pop at the media, I think is maybe a step too far.’
Sutton urged Southgate to ‘name names’ after he attacked pundits for their criticism of the defender.
He added: ‘I know Gareth seemed to be aiming a jibe at the media, but I think he has to come out in a name, names specifically with this, because most of the stuff I’ve seen written about Harry Maguire has been pretty balanced.’
Ladyman went on to explain how he, and the rest of the written media, were told in their usual debrief after the game that Southgate did not want to speak about Maguire’s situation with England.
He urged that both the Three Lions boss and Maguire were very ‘admirable’ in their post-match interviews but claimed that England fans would have already ‘moved on’ had Southgate not taken a swipe at supporters and the media.
Maguire’s mother Zoe hit back at the criticisms aimed at her son after the match on Tuesday
Sutton, agreeing, said: ‘Yes, absolutely. I think Harry Maguire can cope with the pressure and handle the pressure. He’s coped with pressure all his career and especially when he made the move to Manchester United, arguably the biggest club in the world, you come under scrutiny.
‘And then, him being an England international, he comes under close scrutiny. His form hasn’t been what it was, but he’s 30 years old now. He can cope.
‘I suppose there are those out there who think that he should have moved on in the summer. He had the opportunity to move on to West Ham and play more regular football.
‘The fact that he’s decided to stay at Manchester United, and it doesn’t look like he’s going to get a game there, I have to say it’s going to be a big problem for him because then when he does get his opportunity with England, as far as I can see, he’s going to find it very difficult to find his rhythm.’
