- Keane apologizes for Maguire criticism
- Says he ‘crossed the line’ sometimes
- Apologized personally to Man Utd defender
WHAT HAPPENED?
The former midfielder has never been one to mince his words whenever he dislikes anything that a Manchester United player does. On multiple occasions, on the end of Keane’s stick has been Maguire, who has been heavily criticized for various reasons by not just Keane but many other pundits across the sport. However, Keane has admitted he ‘crossed the line’ with his Maguire criticism and that he privately apologized to the former Red Devils captain.
WHAT KEANE SAID
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast by SkyBet, Keane said: “I was harsh on Harry Maguire. You hope to keep it to footballing reasons and obviously, we cover a lot of Manchester United matches and he was struggling at the time.
“But you also think about the mental health of players and I definitely crossed the line with Maguire.
“I remember one time I kind of mocked him a little bit and that is definitely out or order. I crossed the line and listen, I played the game, I know it’s not easy.
“But I’m also big enough that I apologised to him. Sometimes we pundits get it wrong too.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Maguire joined the Red Devils from Leicester City in the summer of 2019 on the back of a wonderful season with the Foxes, and just a few months into his debut season he was handed the captain’s armband by then boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. However, over the last couple of seasons, his form has dwindled and he slowly became the easiest target for fans and pundits. Nonetheless, he had a strong end to the 2023/24 season for Erik ten Hag and only missed out on Gareth Southgate’s England squad due to an injury.
WHAT NEXT FOR MAGUIRE?
The 31-year-old defender will only return to action when Ten Hag and the United squad begin their pre-season camp following the end of the Euros.
