Roma midfielder Nemanja Matic as defended his former Manchester United teammate Harry Maguire.
The United captain has lost his first-choice status under manager Erik ten Hag this season.
But Matic says: "I can understand why he's playing for England, because he's a great player.
"When he signed for United, in his first season he played almost every game and he was one of the best players. The problem today is that if you play two or three games not great, with social media, everyone criticises you - and maybe that affected him.
"But he has to think only about his job, because in football everything can change in a few weeks. His situation doesn't look great at the moment, but he needs to be focused. He's very professional and we'll see what the future brings for him."