Donny van de Beek has praised Harry Maguire for showing his ‘big personality’ after the Manchester United captain was booed during his side’s pre-season friendly victory over Crystal Palace.
United continued their preparations for the 2022/23 campaign with a 3-1 win over the Eagles at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, with Anthony Martial, Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford all getting on the scoresheet.
However, another strong showing from Erik ten Hag’s side was marred by Maguire being jeered by the crowd.
There were boos when his name was read about before kick-off and he was also targeted whenever he touched the ball in the opening exchanges of the first half.
Maguire responded by putting in a strong performance, completing several tackles and nearly scoring with a fierce effort from outside the box.
Speaking after the game, his teammate Van de Beek – who set up Rashford’s goal – admitted that he was baffled by the jeers.
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Van de Been:
“I heard as well. Didn’t know really what happened.
Today Harry was playing really well. He was aggressive, got so many balls, that means he has a big personality.
He has a lot of experience. That’s positive, his performance today.”
Maguire was heavily criticised for underperforming last season and there had been suggestions that Ten Hag would strip him of the club captaincy.
The Dutchman has backed his skipper publicly on several occasions, even if his place in the first team could be threatened by the arrival of Lisandro Martinez from Ajax.
