‘We have to keep it clean’

HARRY MAGUIRE admits he is worried about England’s sudden inability to keep clean sheets.

England’s 2-1 defeat by Spain in their Nations League opening game at Wembley on Saturday meant they have now conceded six goals in their past three matches – two in each.

That troubling run has come after several superb defensive performances from Maguire and his team-mates in the early stages of the World Cup, when Gareth Southgate’s side conceded only four goals in five games leading up to the semi-final defeat by Croatia.

Against a Swiss team tonight who thumped Iceland 6-0 in their Nations League opener on Saturday, and with Southgate, left, set to select a reshaped defence at the King Power Stadium, England will be facing a serious test.

Leicester centre-back Maguire, who has just signed a new five-year deal at the club, said: “As a defender, we take pride in getting clean sheets, so to concede two goals in the last three games is not what we want. But we are working hard on the training pitch to try to stop that. On Saturday, we felt it was two poor goals to let in, especially when you concede from a set-play.

“A good team like Spain do keep the ball away from you but we conceded from a set-play. It was an area where we were really strong at the World Cup and we lost the game because of it, so we’re disappointed with that. We’ll work hard and hopefully improve for the forthcoming fixtures.”