I played brilliantly at World Cup, says bullish Maguire
United defender insists he has justified England place Southgate kept ‘great faith’ as critics rounded on player
Harry Maguire believes he fully justified Gareth Southgate’s faith because he continued to excel for England even during his troubles at Manchester United.
He also argued that the fierce scrutiny he was under was because of the club he plays for, and that it would not have been the same had he stayed at Leicester City.
The Maguire redemption arc at United has been one of the unlikely success stories of an otherwise difficult campaign for the club and the 31-year-old centre-half was in understandably buoyant mood following Sunday’s dramatic FA Cup quarter-final victory over Liverpool. “It’s got to go down as one of the FA Cup classics,” Maguire said.
Even after losing the captaincy, and his place, at United and being put up for sale, Maguire kept on being selected for England.
“I think, from how I’ve played for my country in the previous tournaments and the previous games, not playing for my club as regularly as I should for six months shouldn’t really warrant me not being picked in a squad, because when I did play for my country, I played and performed well,” Maguire said.
“I think, ultimately, when he [Southgate] kept picking me, I had to perform and my performances for my country have always stayed high-level. He picked me in Qatar [for the World Cup] and I felt like my performances were brilliant – I hadn’t been playing much that season, there’s always question marks.
“I think he has the hardest job in the world picking a squad because football is a game of opinions. There are loads of people out there now who probably don’t think I should be in the squad. There are millions of people that think I should be.”
There are certainly more now believing Maguire is worthy of selection than in the past couple of years when it appeared, as his form collapsed and he lost his place, that he had been cut loose by United manager Erik ten Hag.
Maguire disputes this. “Ultimately, I had a season [2022-23] where I wasn’t playing as much as I’d like,” he said. “The boss always told me that he believed in me. So, I always knew there would be opportunities to come and that I just had to take them. I feel I am performing really well for my club. A couple of setbacks with injuries, which have been a bit frustrating and disappointing, but I feel like I’m in a real good place.”
Even during the difficult times – and only last September Maguire was goaded mercilessly by Scotland fans and scored an own goal during the friendly win in Glasgow – Southgate has not wavered as he remained determined to make decisions independent of club form.
The manager described the treatment of Maguire as an “absolute joke” while the player’s mother, Zoe, hit out in a message posted on social media.
“But I also do think that different clubs have different scrutiny on players and that has a big aspect on when fans see him picking a squad,” Maguire, who joined United for £85million in 2019, said.
“I could have played for Leicester and had a bad game and then had six good ones, a couple of bad ones and everyone would think that I’m in amazing form. If I did that for Manchester United, it doesn’t happen like that… every goal we concede is analysed and that’s the pressures of playing for a big club.
“I think you see that a lot with
England careers and paths. You get built up and then you’ve got to maintain that really high level to stay there, otherwise you get shut down pretty quickly.”
Maguire is set to win his 63rd cap in the friendlies against Brazil and Belgium ahead of the squad being selected for this summer’s European Championship.
“I always believed in my ability. I went through a difficult year where a lot of scrutiny came my way. I was Manchester United captain and the team didn’t perform well. When I looked back, I did expect that [criticism]. I have great people, family, friends around me, Gareth has shown great faith in me, trusting me throughout the time, and that’s given me the confidence to make sure I’m ready and available to play.
“I do believe I am mentally strong. I have overcome a lot. With experience, you learn how to deal with things better. Of course, everybody loves it when things are going well, people speaking highly of you. But, throughout my career, that just doesn’t happen for a 10-to15-year period. There will be times when you have setbacks and challenges to overcome.”
Given Southgate’s unwavering support, it is unsurprising to hear Maguire state that he wants him to stay on as England manager. Southgate’s contract expires at the end of the year.
“I’ve had a great relationship with him,” Maguire said. “I’ve been a big part of the success and the progression that we’ve shown as a country. I’m sure he will say the same thing now: it’s all about winning a trophy.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen after the Euros. I don’t know if he knows what’s going to happen. But I feel like what he’s done from when he first took over this job to where we are at now, we’ve taken huge strides and he’s a massive part of that.”