Maguire running into contention for Qatar

HARRY MAGUIRE has stepped up his bid to be fit for the World Cup by running again in training and he could be available to return to action in a week.

The Manchester United captain has not played since injuring his thigh when on England duty against Germany last week, and is now in a race against time to prove his fitness before Gareth Southgate names his preliminary squad for Qatar on October 30.

The centre-half, who has 48 England caps, is unlikely to be risked against Newcastle today, but he could feature against Chelsea next weekend or in the Europa League tie against FC Sheriff on October 27.

Maguire lost his place in United’s starting line-up after the 4-0 defeat at Brentford in August and his poor form has led to calls for the England boss to leave him out of the World Cup squad.

But Southgate remains loyal to Maguire and insists he will take the 29-year-old unless the situation becomes ‘untenable’.