Gareth Southgate tells England fans who booed Harry Maguire: 'We're either all in it together or we're not'

Gareth Southgate had a simple challenge to the England "fans" who booed Harry Maguire at Wembley on Tuesday night: are you with us or against us?

The Sheffield-born defender has been in poor form for his club this season but that was no justification for a player who has always served his country well being booed when his name was read out before kick-off and as he took his early touches in England's comfortable 3-0 win over Ivory Coast.

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Manager Southgate was angry with a reaction he told television viewers he saw as "a joke" and warned it could affect more than just the Manchester United captain.

ANGRY: England manager Gareth SouthgateANGRY: England manager Gareth Southgate
ANGRY: England manager Gareth Southgate
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"I don't understand how it benefits anybody. We're either all in it together or we're not," he said.

"I would imagine if you asked a few why they did it they might not even be able to answer because it becomes a mob mentality.

"At one end of the ground you've got a hard-core section of fans playing his song nd trying to get his name sung so I'm very aware it's not everybody.

"Don't think for one minute the other players are not looking at it thinking that could be me one day. That's been one of the problems of playing for England, players have thought, 'Do I want to go because when it turns a little bit difficult, the crowd are going to turn on me.'

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"That happened with John Barnes here, and Ashley Cole a couple of times, with Raheem (Sterling) now Harry. They're all outstanding players so how that is going to benefit anybody, I really don't understand.

"We're united as a team, we need a Harry Maguire playing well if we're going to have a chance of doing well this winter. We're not going to win a World Cup with a load of players who have got three or four caps, that's not happened in the history of the game. So we need our experienced players playing well.

"He's top quality. In my opinion he's the best centre-back at his club as well.

"Where this has all started or is being fed from I'm not sure but it's ludicrous. It's almost like every time he steps on a pitch every action is analysed to death.

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"I can't remember a player having that spotlight on him at every point."

Of Maguire's performance in a game where England were playing against 10 men from the 40th minute when Tottenham Hotspur right-back Serge Aurier was shown a second yellow card, Southgate said: "He had important moments stepping out with the ball for the goals, that's what he does. Him and John (Stones) have given us the period to play out from the back which

we haven't had for quite a period of time. That changes the dynamic of the game.

"Obviously defensively he wasn't tested too much tonight because the red card changed the flow of the game which was a shame for us from a learning point of view and the fans as a spectacle.

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"But he did what he needed to do and given the reception I thought he did extremely well."

Jude Bellingham put in an impressive performance as an attacking midfielder, hitting a post early on, as did captain for the night Raheem Sterling, who scored the second goal. Ollie Watkins marked his first start with a goal, and Tyrone Mings scored a stoppage-time header.

But the game was never a contest once Aurier was sent off after pulling Jack Grealish's shorts, then trying and failing to pull down Watkins.

"When you're playing against 11 it's quite difficult but 10 against 11 was impossible," said his coach, Patrice Beaumelle.

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"The plan was to play a block and to try to play (n the) counter(-attack) but when you have one less player, the game was done for us. It was quite difficult to pose a challenge.

"I think it was a challenge in the midfield and Serge was obstructed. I didn't see it clearly but I thought it was a foul for us but the ref didn't give us a free-kick.

"At the end of the day it's football.

"I have to see it again but it killed the spectacle , I think., For the fans it was not a game any more."

Beaumelle, who was without the injured Wilfried Zaha, who had a hamstring injury, was impressed by England.

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"I read in the newspaper that the coach is always changing the system but I think it's good for England to have so many options to play," he said. "They have so many (good) players.

"It's a very strong team, they are not fourth in the FIFA rankings by fluke."