Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)

GUEHI WILL STILL MAKE HIS MARC

- BY NICK SZCZEPANIK

CRYSTAL PALACE manager Patrick Vieira has backed Gareth Southgate’s decision to take struggling Harry Maguire to Qatar – while his own promising defender Marc Guehi stays at home.

But Vieira has no doubt Guehi (tussling with James Maddison, above) will be in plenty of England squads in the future.

“I think Maguire is a top player,” said Vieira ahead of the Eagles’ game away to Nottingham Forest today.

“He’s got a really strong character and yes, sometimes you can play well, sometimes you can play badly. But that doesn’t take away the quality or personalit­y he has.

“The England national team will benefit from that.

“If you compare Marc to Maguire, the difference is that Maguire knows the internatio­nal level that Marc doesn’t know yet.

“The England manager has to make a decision about what he wants for that tournament. Marc or anybody else should respect that decision and make a judgement at the end of the tournament.”

Guehi, 22, a former England Under-21 captain and World Cup winner at U-17 level, has earned three senior caps since his debut in the Three Lions’ 2-1 Wembley victory over Switzerlan­d in March.

And Vieira insists there will be more to come.

“For players like him, who want to represent his country, not to be part of the 26 is a disappoint­ment,” he added. “But that is still his objective and he has time.

“What is important for him is to keep that drive, to keep improving himself – it is just a question of time before he’s an England player.

“Marc will wish England all the very best and he knows what he will have to do to have a chance at internatio­nal level.

“I don’t have any doubt he will represent his country in the near future.”

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