Football News: Manchester United fans in Melbourne booed Harry Maguire. Are Ronaldo and Erik Ten Hag responsible?

Harry Maguire opened the third game of his team's tour of Australia, but he was booed repeatedly during the game on Tuesday.

Every time Maguire touched the ball, Melbourne Cricket Ground spectators mercilessly booed him.

Seventy-six thousand four hundred ninety-nine spectators watched the all-EPL friendly at the MCG, with the bulk of them showing their support for Manchester United. However, many people made it apparent that they weren't there to stand by Maguire.

Boos could be heard as soon as his name was announced and his picture appeared on the main screen. Those supporters seemed to enjoy publicly endorsing Maguire as he continued to acquire possession.

Even those wearing Palace shirts were joining in, but according to spectators, notably those standing behind David de Gea's goal, United fans accounted for the majority of the jeers.

With shouts and that cry, some supporters attempted to drown out the hate. However, the general unrest could be heard from the press box more than 100 yards away.

Harry Maguire has only had the infamous Erik ten Hag vote of confidence for a few weeks, but it's already apparent that the Manchester United captain will have a tough season.

The 29-year-old has been chosen to continue serving as the club's captain; however, whether he will wear the armband regularly this season relies on his ability to secure a berth in Ten Hag's squad.

No one wearing a Manchester United jersey did themselves justice last season, but Maguire was one of the team's worst underachievers.

Was Erik Ten Hag or Cristiano Ronaldo the reason Harry Maguire was booed?

It's not the first time Maguire has faced jeers from his supporters; last season, both Man United and England fans booed him when he was on international duty.

But it is pretty perplexing to decide to jeer the player leading your side out during a preseason friendly before a ball has been thrown in retaliation.

Was it because, to the chagrin of some, Ten Hag came out so forcefully to declare that Maguire is the captain and a first-choice player?

Was it because Australians saw Cristiano Ronaldo favourably and assumed he wanted the armband instead?

Following the acquisition of Lisandro Martinez from Ajax, Erik ten Hag wrote to Maguire before their match versus Palace.

The Dutchman said that Harry is "really impressive", and he expects a lot from him.

After 30 minutes, the jeers stopped. Maguire was likely performing at a level that would have made prolonged criticism laughable after the novelty had worn off. The best approach to avoid further attention is to play well.

Maguire is conscious of the complaints. At a gathering on Saturday at Melbourne's Marriott Docklands with over 30 supporters from United supporters clubs in Perth, New South Wales, and Brisbane.

Maguire answered some questions regarding his form last season, saying, "Last year was disappointing. As an individual, I didn't play well, and as a team, we certainly didn't play well."

"But a good career can last 10 to 15 years, and you're never going to have plain sailing every year without any difficulties."

"You're going to have to fight, you're going to have setbacks, and last year was certainly a setback for me on my career path," he said. "But it's behind us now, and we look forward to the future and getting this club back to winning trophies, which is what it's all about."

Those in the audience say he spoke with genuine acceptance of the scrutiny, and as long as supporters feel that, from all players, the connection between them will be stronger.

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