Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has expressed his desire to win the Euro 2024 title with England after a number of disappointments with the national side over the years.
The Three Lions commenced their Euro 2024 qualifiers journey with a 2-1 win over Italy. In the victory over Gli Azzurri, the 30-year-old centre-back played the full 90 minutes. On Sunday (26 March), Gareth Southgate’s team are set to face Ukraine.
Speaking to the media via Express, Maguire feels the upcoming major tournament will be his last chance to lift meaningful silverware with England. As a result, the defender is determined to go all the way in the prestigious tournament.
“I think for me, at my age as well – 30 years old now – I’m with a mindset of ‘if we don’t win the tournament, it’s been a failure’.
“Obviously, we’ve got to qualify first – it’s a tough group – but we have gone to Italy and got an amazing result. I’ve been at three major tournaments now and I’ve come so close. So my mindset is that I believe that we have the players to win it.”
The 30-year-old has been to various competitions with the Three Lions. Under Southgate, the centre-back has played a pivotal role in two World Cups and Euro 2020. It has been with England that his career has found the most recent success, with his place in Manchester United’s Premier League and Champions League starting XIs taken by Varane and Martinez.
After reaching the final in Russia, England were one step away from getting their hands on a trophy. However, Italy beat the Three Lions in the penalty shootout to win the European Championship.
In Qatar, Maguire was once again a pivotal member of his national side. The defender started in every fixture for Southgate’s team. However, France beat them in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup.
While the 30-year-old has enjoyed regular minutes with England, under Erik ten Hag, our captain’s influence in the team has diminished. The 30-year-old has spent most of his time on the bench this season.
The Dutch manager has preferred the partnership of Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez in the backline. At times, the gaffer has also counted on Luke Shaw to play as a central defender.
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Maguire wants to end his England career with a trophy to his name. But it remains to be seen whether he will do that while still being on United’s books.
