Harry Maguire, England 2021Getty

Maguire will be involved in England's Euro 2020 showdown against Scotland, confirms Southgate

Gareth Southgate has confirmed that Harry Maguire will be involved in England's Euro 2020 showdown against Scotland.

Maguire was named in Southgate's final 26-man squad for the tournament despite having been out of action since limping out of Manchester United's Premier League clash with Aston Villa on May 9.

The 28-year-old played no part in England's warm-up games against Austria and Romania or their Group D opener against Croatia on Sunday, but he could now be set to make his long-awaited return from his ankle injury against Scotland at Wembley.

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What's been said?

Asked how Maguire is progressing ahead of Friday's home nation clash, Southgate told a pre-match press conference: "Harry will be involved tomorrow. The decision we've got to make is whether he's ready to start but we're really pleased with his progress.

"He's trained with the team for four or five days now and had no reaction. Each session that he's involved with he gets more confident and I think he's on a really good path.

"Of course we want everybody available. It causes difficult decisions but at the moment this morning on the training pitch we had 26 players training and that's a great situation for us to be in."

Maguire in optimistic mood

Maguire declared himself to be fit for the Scotland game when he appeared in front of the media on Wednesday, but also admitted that his preparation for the European Championships has been far from ideal.

The defender, who also missed Man Utd's Europa League final defeat to Villarreal last month, told reporters: "Obviously the injury was a setback club football-wise. Internationally I wanted to come into this with a lot of games under my belt with full fitness.

"I've done a few sessions now and feel like my fitness is there, so I'm available for the game."

Asked if he has rushed back too quickly, Maguire added: "I'm sure it will niggle me for a few weeks and months. I haven't had one before, but from speaking to players and physios, I'm sure it will be niggling," he added. "But as long as it's stable and the pain is bearable, then I'm sure I'll be fine."

The state of play in Group D

England are currently sitting second in Group D on goal difference behind the Czech Republic, who beat Scotland 2-0 in their opening match and are now preparing for a meeting with Croatia.

The Three Lions opened with a 1-0 win over Croatia, avenging their semi-final defeat at the 2018 World Cup in the process, and will qualify for the round of 16 if they see off the Scots.

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