'OUT OF CHARACTER'
Wayne Rooney leaps to Harry Maguire’s defence over Greek brawl and insists Man Utd captain is ‘not that type of person’
WAYNE ROONEY has leaped to the defence of Harry Maguire following his Mykonos brawl - insisting the Manchester United captain is "not that type of person".
Maguire, 27, was found guilty of assault and attempted bribery and handed a 21-month suspended jail sentence earlier this week.
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The England defender - who was named and then removed from Gareth Southgate's latest Three Lions squad - has lodged an appeal, meaning he will be granted a retrial at a "more senior court";.
And Rooney has given his complete backing to Maguire, adamantly saying the ex-Leicester man is "not that type of person".
Rooney told : “Knowing Harry the way I know him, it’s completely not his character.
“It’s out of character, everything that was reported to have happened.
“I couldn’t get my head around how it went to court.
"He was found guilty and sentenced all within the space of about two hours… how has that happened?
“Harry’s not that type of person at all.
"He was out there with his girlfriend, his family and friends and their girlfriends...
"So it’s not a group of lads, where sometimes things happen.";
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Rooney added he believes Maguire must have been provoked to act so "out of character".
The Derby man continued: “So, in my opinion, something has gone on that has maybe provoked him.
“It’s just out of character, it’s not him at all. I just think as a nation, as people, we are too quick to judge.
“Obviously he was found guilty and there’s an appeal, so at the minute there’s no charges now against his name until the next court date.”
Maguire is expected to keep the Man Utd captaincy after lodging his appeal - but may be forced to wait three years for his retrial.
On Wednesday, pals claimed Maguire and his group - arrested at the weekend - were given a “welcome” by up to eight men armed with batons when they arrived at a police station in Mykonos.
Authorities refused to allow medical evidence gathered by his legal team which detailed bruising he sustained.
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Phone footage which showed Maguire’s pals confronting two Albanians who allegedly tried to inject his sister Daisy, 20, with a drug was also not allowed to be submitted.
A source said: “Harry is very disappointed at how things played out in court.
"His team was given two hours to examine a 50-page prosecution file.
“They repeatedly asked for an adjournment but weren’t given one.
"The trial went on until late and it makes everyone think that the authorities were determined to deal with the case, whether it had due process or not.
“Harry is confident that the appeals process will provide him with the opportunity to clear his name.”
Another pal said Maguire was “hellbent on clearing his name”, adding: “He respects the legal process.”
Manchester United also gave their backing to Maguire, saying he's "innocent until proven guilty".
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On Wednesday, a club spokesperson said: "An appeal against yesterday’s verdict was lodged this morning by Harry’s legal team.
"In accordance with the Greek judicial process, the filing of an appeal extinguishes the initial court verdict and nullifies the conviction.
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"The appeal has been accepted and will lead to a full retrial in a more senior court.
"This means that Harry has no criminal record and is once again presumed innocent until proven guilty."
Man Utd say Harry Maguire is set for Greek brawl re-trial after appeal lodged and conviction quashed
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