England manager Gareth Southgate has backed Harry Maguire in response to insulting taunts from Scotland supporters after his own goal in Tuesday’s friendly against Scotland at Hampden Park,

Due to an injury to Marc Guehi, Maguire was substituted for England at halftime and received mocking applause from the Scottish crowd for each pass he made.

Maguire had started the game on the bench and he unintentionally gave Scotland a chance to score after he prodded a low cross into his own net in the 67th minute.

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“There has been ridiculous treatment of him for a long period of time, frankly,” Southgate said after the match.

“It’s a joke. I’ve never known a player treated the way he is not by the Scottish fans, but by our own commentators, pundits, whatever, they’ve created something beyond anything I’ve ever seen.”

The 30-year-old Maguire has failed to play first-team games at Old Trafford after being relieved of his captaincy by his team Manchester United in July.

Nevertheless, Southgate emphasised the centre back’s significance for England, noting that he had participated in each of their Euro 2024 qualifying games.

“He’s been an absolute stalwart for us in the second most successful England team for decades. He’s been an absolute key part of that,” Southgate said.