Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has faced some harsh scrutiny throughout the 2021-22 Premier League campaign, but things reached new heights on Thursday. According to Sky Sports, Maguire received a bomb threat at his home in Cheshire, which he reported to the police.
Sky Sports reports police conducted a search of Maguire's home, including enlisting an explosive sniffing K-9 unit. No such bomb was detected, and as such Maguire and his family were not forced to evacuate their home.
Cheshire police released a statement saying, “Harry [Maguire] has received a serious threat to his family home. He has reported this to the police, who are now looking into the matter. The safety of his family and those around him are obviously Harry's number 1 priority. He'll continue to prepare for this weekend's fixture as normal, and will not be commenting on any further detail at this time.”
The heinous threats come on the heels of a 4-0 Manchester United defeat at the hands of Liverpool amid what has been a disappointing campaign for the club. Maguire in particular has received stark criticism from supporters and has been somewhat of the team's scapegoat amid their poor run of form.
While receiving abuse online or being subject to verbal tirades at the stadium is, unfortunately, par for the course in the life of an athlete, to have a threat made against one's family in their own home is simply egregious. While no such explosive was found, the fact a threat of that nature was even made is a disgusting act from the individual responsible.