“I definitely crossed the line”
Roy Keane has admitted he made an apology to Harry Maguire after comments he made about the Manchester United player, admitting he “went too far.”
Maguire has been criticised heavily since his arrival at Man United, often warranted, at times completely unfair.
However, Roy Keane has said that comments he made “crossed the line” and that he reached out to apologise to the United centre-back.
Speaking on a podcast, the United legend said: “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 of 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.”
Co-host and Arsenal legend Ian Wright highlighted how Maguire had become the victim of a social media man hunt which was not merited by his on-pitch performances.
He said: “What’s happened is that people have been taking the mick out of this guy so relentlessly that you’re genuinely waiting for him to do anything. Now, even if he misplaces something, he’s getting hammered. It’s a totally different level.
“I look at Harry, the memes, the GIFS, and everything, and I’ve watched how he plays, everybody makes mistakes. I’ve not seen Harry do anything that makes me go, ‘What’s going on? How is this guy even playing?’
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Maguire missed out on the cut for Gareth Southgate’s England Euro 2024 squad after fitness issues held him back.
On missing out he said: “Maybe I pushed myself too hard, to try and make it. “Simply, I am absolutely gutted. For me, representing England is the highest honour. It means everything to me. If I can’t help the team as a player, I will support them as a fan – along with the rest of the country. Go and win it, boys.”
Maguire signed for Manchester United in 2019 and has played 206 games since, scoring 11 goals and assisting seven.
Although the centre-back has struggled at times, he has showed signs of why United signed him in the last two seasons, intermittently making appearances between injuries.
