I SWEAR IT’S GREAT TO BE BACK
Maguire won’t have to mind his language
HARRY MAGUIRE admits having fans back is almost as good as being back in the game himself.
The England defender has endured a miserable seven weeks battling to overcome a serious ankle problem that threatened to ruin his Euros dream.
During this time supporters have flocked back to matches due to the easing of Covid-19 restrictions around the nation.
And Maguire says it is a big relief to hear some noise inside stadiums again – to drown out the sounds of him swearing and rowing with team-mates and rivals.
The last time the Manchester United man played in front of a crowd was 48 hours before Christmas in a Carabao Cup tie at Everton, when 2,000 were allowed into Goodison Park.
The defensive rock has not witnessed a full stadium since before the pandemic but he is glad life is returning to normal again.
He said: “I’m happy fans are back in the stadium, so you can’t hear a lot of my arguments with the players.
“My brother will text me after saying, ‘Did you have an argument with Marcus Rashford in that game?’
“It’s the demands probably I put on myself but I put on other players as well.
“I demand a lot from the players – I demand a lot from Luke Shaw, for example. I drive him forward all the time.
“I want the best from him, and you’ve seen this year how important he’s been at club level, and how much he’s improved.
“That’s one big part of the England team, we’ve got a lot of loud players and that’s only a good thing really. We’ve got Conor Coady, Tyrone Mings, Jordan
Henderson and Harry Kane as well, numerous players I could go through.”
Maguire’s leadership is the main reason Gareth Southgate decided to keep faith with his crocked ace – and the United captain believes he is now part of a Three Lions camp full of strong voices.
He said: “The big thing about this squad is that we have a lot of young,
exciting, talented players, but we also have a lot of experienced players, a lot of club captains, which is so important in tournament football.
“Passing on your experience to the younger lads in the ways you handle yourself around the camp and on the training pitch and give them real confidence to go on and express themselves.
“It is not just myself. There are a lot of good leaders in this squad.” Maguire was just an excited fan the last time the Euros took place and travelled to France with his pals to cheer on the Three Lions. Now he is in the thick of the action himself.
He added: “It’s such a proud moment, to play for your country.
“While you’re in the moment, you probably don’t realise how big it is.”