Zoe Maguire, the mother of Harry Maguire, has come forward to strongly defend her son following taunts from England fans during the Three Lions' victory over Scotland.

Zoe has posted a heartfelt statement on social media condemning the treatment of the Manchester United player. During England's recent friendly against Scotland at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Maguire was brought on as a substitute when Marc Guehi suffered an injury.

Regrettably, Maguire then unintentionally scored an own goal in the 67th minute by inadvertently redirecting a Scotland cross into his team's net.

She wrote: "As a mum seeing the level of negative and abusive comments which my son is receiving from some fans, pundits and the media is disgraceful and totally unacceptable to any walk of life, never mind someone who works his socks off for club and country."

"I was there in the stand as usual, It's not acceptable what's been created over nothing. I understand that in the football world there are ups and downs, positives and negatives but what Harry receives has gone far beyond 'football'."

"For me, seeing him go through what he's going through is not okay. I would hate to have to see any other parents or players go through this in the future, especially the young boys and girls breaking through the ranks today.

"Harry has a massive heart and it's a good job he's mentally strong and can handle it, as others may not be able to. I wish this sort of abuse on nobody."

Following the game, England manager Gareth Southgate expressed his frustration at the treatment Harry Maguire received, describing it as "a joke".

Southgate also implied that this unfair treatment was a consequence of an unjust narrative that has developed around Maguire over the past few years.

During the summer, there were rumours linking Maguire to a potential move to West Ham, but the transfer did not materialise.

As a result, the former Manchester United captain has continued to struggle for playing time under Erik ten Hag.

Despite facing taunts from the fans, Maguire has affirmed his ability to handle the pressure and remains confident about getting playing opportunities at Old Trafford this season, even though he has fallen down the pecking order.