Is Harry Maguire Out Of The England World Cup Squad?
The FIFA World Cup 2022 is approaching fast, but England has some issues to settle before claiming the coveted trophy. Harry Maguire, the center-back for Manchester United, is Southgate’s biggest headache right now.
He has been in terrible form lately, and as the World Cup approaches without any improvement, there is a big question mark about whether he could make it to the World Cup squad for England.
Harry Maguire Failed To Perform As Expected
In 2019, Manchester United paid €90 million for Maguire, making him one of the most expensive defenders in the world. Unfortunately, Maguire couldn’t live up to the expectations and succumbed to the enormous pressure of performing to his name. Incidentally, Maguire ended up on the bench when Ten Hag took over the reins of Manchester United.
In their last game against Germany, Southgate surprised everyone when he deployed the Manchester United defender as a starter. This might not have gone well with the fans because they awarded the former Leicester central with heaps of Boos even before the kick-off. And, Magirie didn’t give fans any reason to make them think they were wrong booing him.
It was another flop show by Harry Maguire against Germany at Wembley stadium. First, he conceded a penalty due to his entanglement with Musiala. Also, 15 minutes into the game, he lost the ball and was almost clueless about what he was doing.
His pitiful form allowed fans to pile against heaps of insult to the center-back. It clearly shows how unpopular Maguire is right now amongst the fans.
His lackluster performance has now fueled the fire that he can be dropped from the World Cup squad.
Luke Shaw Defended Harry Maguire
Harry Maguire faced the wrath of fans during the game against Germany, but few people came out in support of the defender too. Luke Shaw, Maguire’s teammate, openly supported the former Leicester defender. He believes that Harry Maguire doesn’t deserve so much abuse.
Talking about his teammate, Shaw said, “You can have people who can hide and not want to be in the spotlight, but he keeps putting himself in the spotlight, and it shows the strength and the character he has because come on, everyone knows that he is an incredible player.
“At the moment, the confidence may not be there because it can feel like the whole world is against him, it’s difficult for him, but we as players, the staff, we’re all behind it. He is a very important player, and it shows Gareth’s confidence in playing in both games.
“Look at the Euros and what he’s done; people have to understand he’s a big part of the England team, and they have to accept that. Of course, Harry is an incredible player, an incredible character. He took a lot of stick, probably more than I’ve ever seen before in football, but he never hides; he’s always there.”
Gareth Southgate’s Troubles
Gareth Southgate has a tough situation ahead – some of his most experienced players are either injured or out of form. He would hope that these players will revert to good shape before the kick-off of the World Cup.
There are several question marks over his most trusted players. Jordan Pickford is not in pristine health, Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw are not performing well, and Kalvin Phillips has recently undergone shoulder surgery.
Southgate is aware of the situation and acknowledged that things aren’t ideal for the English team. Speaking about his selection for the match against Germany and Italy, he said, “This is a bigger squad than normal, and part of the logic is that we are very close to a World Cup and we believe, although our results were disappointing in the summer, we have chosen based on form and ability for a long time.”
“We have several players, including Ben Chilwell, Luke Shaw, Harry Maguire, and Kalvin Phillips, who aren’t playing many minutes for their club. It’s not ideal, but we believe they have been and can be important players for us. It is not a perfect situation, but there is still a lot of football to play before Qatar.”
Will Harry Maguire Drop From the World Cup Squad?
One might safely assume that Raheem Sterling, Declan Rice, and Jordan Pickford will surely be part of the English squad, but can this be said for Harry Maguire too? The 29-year-old English defender is going through a rough career phase, but Southgate still believes in Maguire.
Moreover, Maguire is still Southgates’ most experienced center-back, and he wouldn’t want to disturb the Harry Maguire – John Stones pairing.
Considering these facts, plus Southgates’ statement that, “He has never let the national side down,” we can assume that he will be able to secure a spot in the World Cup squad for his nation.
