In a pre-season friendly where Manchester United took on Crystal Palace in Melbourne's prestigious venue MCG, the controversial incident which caused a stir on social media was the booing of Harry Maguire.
As the Red Devils looked to finish off their pre-season games in Melbourne against Crystal Palace, over 74,000 fans took to attendance to witness Manchester United in action.
As the whistle blew to kick off the game, when in possession of the football, Manchester United captain Harry Maguire came under heavy criticism with loud booing amongst a sea of United supporters.
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For Harry Maguire, the sounds of booing have come to no surprise, with a similar incident occurring when away with his respected national team England.
With recent occurrences happening on a now frequent basis for the Manchester United captain, it brings up the question; Is the booing of Harry Maguire now becoming a social trend as opposed to genuine fan opinion?
In a 3-0 victory for England over Côte d’Ivoire in late March, Harry Maguire would receive his firsthand experience of booing from his own supporters.
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The treatment of Harry Maguire from his own supporters brought up post-match comments from fellow countrymen, with Declan Rice labelling the booing as a “total embarrassment” and Jordan Henderson pondering the question “What have we become?”
Many other teammates took to social media to show support towards their fellow countryman and appeared in total agreement that the booing was unjustified.
The booing during this period of time came down to the poor form Harry Maguire was in at his respected club Manchester United. Due to this, many fans became severely critical of the central defender, voicing their opinions through the medium of booing.
After the support shown online from former and current players, the booing and jeering seemed to be put to a rest with no significant incidents occurring since.
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Unfortunately for the Red Devils, captain the booing from supporters had not been put to an end, as the pre-season friendly against Crystal Palace in Melbourne displayed loud boos and jeers every time Manchester United’s number five came into possession.
The booing from supporters could be heard on television and prompted many to take to social media in either support for the Manchester United captain or to justify the right of fans to share their view.
As a spectator at the game myself, the booing seemed completely unjustified and was merely a social trend stamped on to the game highlighting an agenda set against the player before the game had started.
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From Maguire’s first touch he had been booed but not to the extent that would seem worrying, but as the game went on and the player had come into possession, boos around the stadium got louder and fans passionate for all antics of football joined in.
The booing of the Manchester United captain only seemed to get worse despite the fact Harry Maguire himself was playing well. From long passes picked out from the back to a simple tackle, the booing of the Manchester United captain seemed to only get worse, highlighting the fact that the booing and jeering were merely a social trend which had not been justified by performance.
Although fans showing passion toward the game is a beneficial contributor towards football, booing a player based on an agenda is simply wrong, especially when the player themselves is playing for the team you support.
Playing for Manchester United will always leave players of the club subject to criticism, in recent times the club has even seen former Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba booed on matchdays.
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As supporters booing a player is fine, to voice your opinion shows the love that someone has for their team, but to jeer against your own player despite their performance is a trend that simply needs to be put to an end.
As the pre-season rolls on with the Red Devils now travelling to Perth to take on Aston Villa, it is important to realise that the inclusion of Harry Maguire is based on the managers opinion.
Should Erik ten Hag include Maguire in his starting line-up, or any player fans may not share a liking to, it is essential that as fans we support Manchester United by cheering for the club as opposed to booing individuals based upon an agenda.
Topics: Manchester United, Harry Maguire, Erik Ten Hag, Crystal Palace, Premier League, Football
Gerard Bands