Siddharth Juyal
England manager Gareth Southgate lauds Manchester United defender Harry Maguire for his performance despite lack of game-time at the club.
England boss Gareth Southgate praised Manchester United defender Harry Maguire for his outstanding performance against Italy in Tuesday’s EURO qualifiers. Southgate’s team beat Italy 3-1 at Wembley Stadium to qualify for the UEFA EURO 2024 competition.
England achieved qualification in just six matches while dominating Group C with five wins and one draw.
England have scored 19 goals and only conceded three in return with Maguire playing every minute for his nation.
Southgate spoke to Channel 4 (h/t BBC) about the outstanding performance of Maguire amid struggle for game time at United. He said:
“You can see Kalvin [Phillips] and Harry [Maguire] were both outstanding tonight. They are both important for us. They are up against really good players at their clubs.”
Maguire faced a swift fall from the starting role at United when manager Erik ten Hag took over last season. The 30-year-old has received limited game time as the Dutchman prefers Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez as his first choice.
The England international has appeared in four games so far for the Red Devils in all competitions this season. The 30-year-old did not feature in the matchday squad for three games and sat as an unused substitute in four.
Maguire: "My record under this manager speaks for itself. I haven’t started as many games as I like but my win percentage when I’ve played is ridiculously high".
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) October 12, 2023
"Of course I can improve. I’ll keep working hard and pushing, I’m sure there will be opportunities to come". pic.twitter.com/sQHpR8y6Wk
Ten Hag stripped Maguire of his captaincy during the summer after the Englishman was unable to win the manager over. The 30-year-old has faced constant criticism from fanbase and footballing experts for his inconsistent performances since moving to Old Trafford. The England international’s criticism has turned into hate-driven narratives at times that are completely counter-productive and unnecessary.
Maguire defended himself during the October international break after facing a barrage of unwarranted criticism. He cited United’s higher win rate with him as opposed to a lower win rate without him.
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Maguire requires regular games at club level to keep his place in the national team intact for the EURO 20024. Currently, the England international is getting opportunities at the national level due to the faith Southgate has in him.
