World Cup looms but Vardy eyes prospects
HARRY MAGUIRE is preparing to go to the World Cup just two years after travelling to watch England as a fan, so it is little wonder the defender can scarcely believe his “remarkable” rise.
Gareth Southgate’s squad is littered with players that have made unorthodox journeys up the ranks, from former nonleague players Jamie Vardy and Nick Pope to the many loan moves captain Harry Kane went on before making it big.
Maguire’s ascent has been striking in a different way.
The 25-year-old went to England’s Euro 2016 group match against Slovakia as a fan after helping Hull seal promotion through the Sky Bet Championship play-offs and is now bound for Russia to take part in the World Cup.
“It was a great occasion for myself to go over there and see them play live,” said former Sheffield United defender Maguire of the 0-0 draw in St Etienne.
“The fans out there – the incredible atmosphere, the passion that they show. It was a great to experience it.”
Among those with him in France for a trip he will “never forget” were brothers Laurence and Joe, who play for Chesterfield and Gainsborough Trinity respectively,
They are set to join him in Russia and Maguire joked that he has got to get his hands on lot of tickets after an ascent he could never have imagined two years ago.
“No, (I would) definitely not (have believed it),” he said.
“Obviously that season we got promoted through the play-offs with Hull.
“Maybe in and out of the team a lot, played a quite few games, I think I played 30-odd times that year, but quite a few off the bench. Then obviously I kicked on the year after, but, no, it has been a remarkable two years.
“It is something if you look back and you think you’d be there, you’d probably think you were dreaming. It’s a dream come true for me to represent England, and a really proud moment.”
Maguire hopes to put a smile on England fans’ faces this summer and believes the squad boasts youthful exuberance and talent.
He said: “We’ve got a lot of ability in the squad and we do have the confidence to go there and take the tournament on.” ENGLAND striker Jamie Vardy will check out non-league prospects at his V9 Academy before heading to the World Cup.
Having risen from non-league in Sheffield with Stocksbridge Park Steels to become a Premier League champion, the 31-year-old Leicester forward launched the academy in 2016 to help give players outside the Football League a chance to follow in his footsteps.
Six players from the V9 Academy broke into the professional game last year, with Danny Newton the standout performer having been named player of the year by both Stevenage’s fans and players.
The second season of the academy kicks off at Manchester City’s Etihad Campus on June 3, with Sheffield-born Vardy and his family going to the showcase matches as it comes to a close on June 8 – the day after England take on Costa Rica.
Gareth Southgate’s men have their final bit of downtime before heading to Russia following the Elland Road friendly and the former Sheffield Wednesday youngster will use it to run his eye over the academy’s non-league hopefuls.
“After last year’s success, I wanted to build on what we achieved last summer and having watched Danny’s and (Peterborough defender) Alex (Penny)’s career develop and unfold this season I knew we had to be back this summer,” Vardy said of the academy he funds.
“Gareth and (Football Association technical director) Dan (Ashworth) have been extremely supportive of V9 and what I set out to achieve since day one.
“My focus is 100 per cent on the World Cup with England but I must admit I’ve been keeping tabs on what players we have been signing for V9 and I can’t wait to see them in action next week.”