Harry Maguire has revealed that he sent a private message to Manchester United teammate Joshua Zirkzee after the striker was jeered off the pitch by some supporters in a 2-0 home defeat to Newcastle United last month.
Zirkzee was signed by the Red Devils last summer for a reported £42m from Bologna, but he has struggled to make the desired impact in front of goal this season.
Since scoring on his Premier League debut as a substitute on the opening weekend of the season back in August last year, Zirkzee has found the net just three times in his last 30 appearances for Man United across all competitions.
The 23-year-old was handed just his seventh Premier League start of the season in the aforementioned defeat to Newcastle on December 30, but he was taken off by new head coach Ruben Amorim in the 33rd minute after the Red Devils conceded twice in the opening 19 minutes.
The substitute was met by a mocked applause from large sections of the Old Trafford faithful as Zirkzee immediately rushed down the tunnel before re-emerging to watch the rest of the match from the bench.
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Maguire: 'Zirkzee must bring belief and confidence out of himself'
Maguire, who has also endured similar low moments on a personal level as a Man United player, has offered his support to Zirkzee and was pleased that the Dutchman redeemed himself with a 'game-changing' cameo in their FA Cup third-round win over Arsenal earlier this month.
"I sent him a message privately after the [Newcastle] game," Maguire told reporters. "Josh is a good player and you don't play for this club if you are not a good player.
"He has got to bring that belief and that confidence out of himself. In football, there is always another game and a next opportunity.
"Josh came on against Arsenal and really changed the game for us, and to score that winning penalty probably gave him a lot of confidence and belief that he belongs at this football club."
Maguire has acknowledged that Man United greats of the past including Wayne Rooney and David Beckham have had their fair share of critics and he is not surprised that Amorim's current squad - labelled as "maybe the worst" in the club's history - is facing widespread backlash following a poor run of form.
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Maguire: 'When times are tough, Man Utd fans really get behind you'
"There are so many ups and downs. Every game you lose, there's a lot of scrutiny and that's part and parcel of playing for this club," said Maguire.
"I look at previous players, the likes of Beckham and Rooney had a lot of scrutiny. If it can happen to them, it can happen to anyone.
"The fans have been brilliant with [Zirkzee]. We have amazing fans that stick with us through thick and thin. When times are tough, they really get behind you and support you.
"I have felt that and I am sure Josh would have been feeling that over the recent weeks.
"We want to get higher in the Premier League and be challenging at the top end of it, but this season, ultimately, we have not been good enough."
Man United have won just five matches out of 15 in all competitions since Amorim succeeded Erik ten Hag in November last year and they currently sit 13th in the Premier League table, 11 points behind the top seven.
Both Zirkzee and Maguire are in contention to start for the Red Devils when they welcome Scottish giants Rangers to Old Trafford for a Europa League clash on Thursday night.
Oliver Thomas
