The England captain made a public show of support for Maguire, who has come under heavy criticism from fans in recent weeks.

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Gareth Southgate also defended the centre-back after he scored an own goal against Scotland in the recent international break.

Kane believes Maguire has been made a scapegoat and like Southgate, he feels some of the scrutiny he has come under has been unwarranted.

He said in a press conference ahead of Bayern Munich’s clash with Manchester United: “H has come under some really unnecessary scrutiny.

“He has probably been scapegoated a little bit over the way the team has gone in recent times.

“He’s a really good friend of mine, he’s a great guy and a real hard-working professional.

“From an England point of view [he’s] been one of our best defenders in recent times and I’d go as far to say one our best defenders in the history of our country.

“It’s part of our game now you’re scrutinised all over, on social media etc. But knowing him all he’ll want to do is work harder and improve and get better and stay focused.

“We’re fully behind him as a national team, I know the coach came out and backed him fully.

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“There’s always going to be noise around players and the important thing is we have a really strong core in our team – that’s the most important thing going into big games and big tournaments.”

Kane’s comments left fans perplexed with many taking exception to the claim Maguire is one of England’s best defenders of all time.

One supporter said: “Surely it’s an parody 🤣”

Another added: “What the f***😂”

A third wrote: “Maguire PR nothing else. Maguire texted him to say nice things about him.”