‘It meant everything’ - Harry Maguire reveals impact of Man Utd’s legend advice

Harry Maguire has revealed David Beckham recently reached out to offer his support following a difficult few months for the Manchester United defender.

Maguire lost his place in the United side last season after a run of poor form, opted against leaving Old Trafford in the summer and has been jeered by fans at club and international games in recent months. Despite that, the 30-year-old has remained at United - and played 90 minutes in last week’s win over Brentford - and is still a vital part of Gareth Southgate’s England squad.

In the Three Lions last game, Maguire inadvertently netted an own-goal after coming on against Scotland, and was ironically cheered by the home supporters at Hampden Park. Southgate defended the centre-back after the match, promoting a wave of discussion about the need to protect Maguire, and players’ mental health.

Speaking in a recent interview with the Times, Maguire explained how an ex-United and England star called and offered advice after the match. “I actually spoke with David about three weeks ago after the Scotland game. He got in touch with me so it was really nice of him and I really appreciated that. It meant everything," he said.

“I’ve spoken throughout my career about David Beckham being someone I looked up to and watched when I was a young boy. Unfortunately, I didn’t end up on the right wing scoring and assisting as many goals as he has, but he was a big role model when I was growing up.

“It shows how classy he is to reach out to me and to message me. It was something I really appreciate. It was touching really. I don’t want to go too much into the conversation but the main thing he did is he reminded me of the career I’ve had to date and the big moments I’ve had in my career.

“I think when you’re going through tough moments you’ve got to go through past experiences and past memories and where you’ve gone in your career and what you’ve been through. Every career is so up and down, especially when you reach what I’ve reached, in terms of being the captain of the biggest club in the world for three and a half years. He’s been in that position and knows what it’s like.”

In recent weeks, Maguire’s current plight has been likened to that faced by Beckham in 1998 after his red card against Argentina at the World Cup. A direct comparison was made between the two in the latest episode of Gary Nevile’s Overlap podcast, which featured Beckham.

The former Real Madrid star also discussed the topic of his post-’98 struggles at length in his documentary BECKHAM, which was released las week.

“I have watched it,” Maguire said. “A lot of people are speaking about me at the moment, but to see what he went through and the resilience he showed.

“I couldn’t believe how much he went through at the time. In the documentary, Gary Neville speaks about how resilient he is as a person. I think he’s been a huge role model for many footballers growing up, especially in my era. It is a great watch and one that I really enjoyed and also one that [seeing him] really inspired me.”