Harry Maguire was subjected to booing from a section of the crowd during Manchester United’s pre-season clash with Crystal Palace.

The jeering aimed at the United defender could be heard from the early stages of the game and continued every time he touched the ball at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

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It will come as a blow to Maguire who was recently given a vote of confidence by manager Erik ten Hag, who confirmed the England international would remain as the club’s captain.

It is unclear why Maguire has been singled out for treatment in Melbourne but it is not the first time the 29-year-old has been the target of the boo-boys.

Maguire has been sectioned out while on international duty with England during a period of poor form for Manchester United.

By the 30 minute mark, the boos appeared to subside a little but for Maguire the damage was always done despite his best efforts to block out the noise.

Former Manchester City midfielder Trevor SInclair leapt to the player’s defence following Ten Hag’s decision to keep him as captain and believes that Managerial upheaval at Old Trafford contributed to his dip in form last term.

When quizzed on whether Maguire deserved to keep the armband Sinclair said: “It depends what form you look at with Harry Maguire. If it’s from 2020/21 you’d say yeah absolutely. In the 2021/22 season after the Euros, he wasn’t great and I think he’d be the first person to hold his hand up.

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“But I think he is a leader from what I seen in that 2020/21 season, he was superb and if he can get anywhere near that form and that leadership role, Ten Hag is right.

“He is a big guy, he speaks well. He’s one of those players who puts his head in where you could get hurt. He leads by example. He had a disappointing season last year but that doesn’t make him a bad player.

“He’s had three managers at Manchester United. He has Michael Carrick, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick. It’s not been ideal to ply your trade as a footballer.”