Aheed Abrar
John Stones proud of England teammate Harry Maguire bouncing back amidst Manchester United struggles
Manchester City star John Stones is proud of England teammate Harry Maguire for bouncing back amidst struggles at Manchester United. The former Everton defender had faith in the 29-year-old.
The Old Trafford side’s centre-back has been impressive during the World Cup campaign. He has started every game for the Three Lions and they will face Senegal in the round of 16.
Speaking to the media via Football Daily on Twitter (h/t Manchester Evening News), Stones admires Maguire’s resilience in bouncing back after having gone through some challenging moments in recent months.
“It speaks volumes about him to come through that and still believe in himself like I believed in him and all his teammates. I think there’s been a lot of noise from the outside that he’s not listened to and tried to improve on himself, and better himself. And he has come into this tournament and hit the ground running and that’s great credit to him.”
The former Leicester City centre-back has not had the best of times in a red shirt since last season. Maguire has been signed out for his mistakes in the backline. The 29-year-old’s performances have warranted criticism.
The centre-back started the first two fixtures in the Premier League under Erik ten Hag. However, after the losses in those games, the defender has fallen down the pecking order.
Maguire has started just three games in the English top flight in the current campaign. The Dutch manager has preferred the partnership of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez at the back.
However, even when the France international was out injured, Victor Lindelof got ahead of our captain in the starting lineup. But confidence can be a big part of the game. And Gareth Southgate’s trust in the 29-year-old is paying off.
In England’s first Group B game against Iran, Maguire put in a decent display. However, he was one of the best players on the pitch against the United States in the Three Lions’ second fixture. The centre-back was solid against Wales as well.
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Hopefully, the centre-back can replicate his form for United as well. Considering Varane’s injury record since last season, we will evidently need Maguire to step in at some point.
