England star Harry Maguire was “born to play” for Manchester United, claimed club legend, Peter Schmeichel.
Yesterday England boss Gareth Southgate picked his 26-man England squad for the Qatar World Cup.
Naturally, the exclusion of AC Milan centre-back Fikayo Tomori and Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi caused uproar in some circles.
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Meanwhile Man Utd captain Maguire was picked despite having started just three Premier League matches for Erik ten Hag this term.
Born to play for Man Utd
Maguire has received his fair share of criticism for his Man Utd performances in recent months.
A poor run of form and a recent injury has seen questions raised over Maguire’s long-term future at Old Trafford.
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Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane have been chosen as Erik ten Hag’s first-choice centre-back partnership, and with the latter out injured, Victor Lindelof has been selected over the England man.
Yet for former Man Utd goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, the defender is a key part of the squad.
Schmeichel told Sky Sports: “This guy, he’s born to play for Manchester United.
“He reminds me a little bit of (Steve) Bruce. Not the same kind of player, but the same kind of personality.
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“You need those kind of players in the squad. He’s a level-headed guy. I think that thing that happened to him in Greece kicked him a bit.”
The defender was given a suspended jail sentence of 21 months and 10 days in 2020 after he was arrested following an alleged altercation in Mykonos, Greece.
The Man Utd defender has appealed against the guilty verdant and a hearing will be held on June 7, 2023.
Maguire for England?
Maguire has endured a difficult campaign for Man Utd this season but has remained an ever-present with his country.
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The towering centre-back has recorded 48 appearances for the Three Lions so far in his career.
Southgate explained that the 29-year-old’s experience was a key reason for his inclusion in the 26 squad for Qatar.
The England manager explained: “We've picked our more experienced defenders, and we think at this moment in time, the younger ones have got some really good qualities but we don't think they've quite done enough to push the more experienced ones out.
“We think the tournament that we're going into and the level of the matches, that needed to be the pecking order."
Topics: Football, Harry Maguire, Peter Schmeichel, Manchester United, Erik Ten Hag, Gareth Southgate
Chris Byfield