HARRY’S WEMBLEY TREMBLY
HARRY MAGUIRE insists the FA Cup still matters to clubs like Leicester.
The England international spoke out after a Jamie Vardy goal in the victory over Sheffield United on Friday earned the Foxes a quarter-final slot.
Maguire has had his own taste of the exposure that a good cup run can bring. He was part of the Sheffield United side that reached the semifinals four years ago.
That trip to Wembley ended in disappointment for Nigel Clough’s Blades, then in League One.
But Maguire said it had a positive effect on his own career and believes Friday’s triumph can give Leicester renewed impetus over the second half of the Premier League campaign.
The 24-year-old said: “The FA Cup is a big competition and this was a tie we wanted to get through.
“The top six in the Premier League are running away from the rest given the amount of money they have behind them. There are two leagues forming in our division at the moment so the FA Cup is a big thing for us.
“We know we are one game away from Wembley now.”
Leicester welcomed Riyad Mahrez back against Sheffield United, the Algerian international starting for the first time since the fall-out over the bid from Manchester City in the final week of the transfer window.
He provided the pass from which Vardy nodded the winner, making it five goals in as many games for the England international.
It left Maguire taking a trip down memory lane, revisiting his 2014 trip to Wembley with the Blades to take on Hull in the semi-final.
He added: “We were a League One club at the time and I look back and think that we could have done better. We were leading 2-1 at half-time and we knew that the second half would be big.
“Unfortunately, we conceded straight away and that killed us. It was a great run, especially given where we were at the time, and now hopefully I can go one better with Leicester.”
Foxes boss Claude Puel named a strong line-up against the Blades on Friday, but in the third round against Fleetwood had fielded a shadow side.
Maguire said: “It’s difficult for players at Christmas with the number of games we have, and that’s why so many were rested. But if you look at our schedule now – we don’t play again until next Saturday – there’s no need to do that again.”