- Defender has suffered dip in form for Red Devils
- Still selected for 2022 World Cup duty
- Has helped Three Lions to the quarter-finals
WHAT HAPPENED? The 29-year-old defender has found the going tough of late, with a supposed wobble at Old Trafford resulting in him dropping to the bench despite filling a role as club captain. Gareth Southgate overlooked those struggles when naming a squad and starting XIs at the 2022 World Cup, with Maguire feeling more confident on an international stage as he looks to rebuild damaged confidence.
WHAT THEY SAID: Maguire has said of raising his game for England: “I don’t think there’s different pressure. The pressure of playing in a World Cup with England at this stage is the biggest tournament in the world. At Man United I’m under a lot more scrutiny. Everything I do gets analysed. Every pass I make gets analysed. Every goal we concede is a defender’s fault. And if you’re playing week in, week out as I did for three years, the last year hasn’t been good enough. Everyone in the team didn’t play well enough and we came under lot of scrutiny as players. No one came out of the season with plaudits.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Maguire added, when pointing out that he is far from being the only player to have allowed standards to slip: “The last year has been difficult and I haven’t played as well as I’ve done in the previous five years at the top level but I think during a career there’s only probably Lionel Messi and Cristiano [Ronaldo] who’ve not had a dip in their careers.”
IN THREE PHOTOS:
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GettyWHAT NEXT? Maguire will be back in World Cup action with England on Saturday when they face France in the last-16 at Qatar 2022, while Manchester United – who are currently taking in friendly outings – are due to face Burnley in the Carabao Cup fourth round on December 21.