Ollie Watkins, Raheem Sterling, and Tyrone Mings scored the goals as the Three Lions cruised to a 3-0 victory, but the game was tarnished by the angry greeting that Manchester United star Harry Maguire received.
Southgate conceded that the 29-year-old had not been enjoying himself at Old Trafford this season, but he was visibly enraged to hear England fans booing their own player in the stands.
It appeared that Southgate was also implying that some supporters are being swayed by social media, or even by former players who are working as pundits.
Southgate was cited by BBC Sport as saying: "The response was a laugh, an absolute joke." Southgate added:
Harry Maguire has struggled for Manchester United.
No one, in my opinion, stands to gain from it." As he said, "Either we're all in this together or we're not."
The majority of them, I'm sure, wouldn't even know what to say if you asked them why they did what they did." Mob mentality is at work here. It wasn't everyone who tried to get his name sung, but there was a fanatical bunch at one end of the field.
"Players will take a look at that and wonder if it's me in the picture." As a result, players are less likely to show up. As John Barnes has previously stated, this has occurred in the past.
Harry's performance is critical for us." The World Cup will not be won by an army of players who have only three or four international caps between them. In the history of the game, something like it has never occurred."
"He's in an England shirt, and not only should you support a player in an England shirt anyway, but when you've played at the level he has for us – and put in the performances he has - it should be a total commitment behind him," he continued.
Alphonsus Odumu 4 d
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