Darren Bent has admitted that he is puzzled at how out-of-form Manchester United captain Harry Maguire earned a place in the England squad ahead of AC Milan star Fikayo Tomori.
England boss Gareth Southgate on Thursday confirmed his 25-man squad for the Three Lions’ forthcoming friendlies against Switzerland and the Ivory Coast.
Maguire received his call-up to represent England, despite the United defender coming under scathing criticism over his poor run of form this season.
Meanwhile, the 29-year-old centre-back’s United teammates Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford were both dropped from Southgate’s 25-man selection.
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Another notable omission from the England squad included former Chelsea defender Tomori, who has been in scintillating form at Milan this season.
The 24-year-old Canadian-born centre-back sealed a permanent switch to the San Siro last June after a successful six-month loan spell with the Serie A club.
Tomori, who was snapped up by Milan for a fee of £25m, has made 30 appearances across all competitions for the Italian side and has scored once this season.
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Bent, 38, pointed out that Maguire has “no form at the minute” and believes him representing England is the “last thing he needs to be doing.”
Speaking on talkSPORT, the ex-England international said: “Harry Maguire. How he’s in the squad, I don’t know.
“Gareth Southgate can’t keep picking players because they’ve never let him down.
“Harry Maguire has no form at the moment. He has no form at the minute. The last thing he needs to be doing is playing for England.
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“In what stratosphere has Maguire been better than [Fikayo] Tomori? None.”
Southgate insisted that there was no doubt in his mind that Maguire would be in the England squad, with the Three Lions boss pointing to the “key part” he played in the 2018 World Cup and 2020 Euros.
“I don’t think it ever crossed our minds not to select Harry Maguire for this squad,” he said at his press conference.
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“He’s been a key part of the starting XI that got us to a World Cup semi-final and a Euros final. There’s no doubt in my mind that he’s one of our best centre-backs.”
England will clash with Switzerland at Wembley on 26th March before facing the Ivory Coast on 29th March.
Topics: Harry Maguire, Manchester United, England, Premier League, Football, Darren Bent
Adnan Riaz