Doha. From Burop to Crazy Rack.
Harry Maguire’s nightmare season is coming to an end.
– Harry deserves more respect, says teammate Jordan Pickford.
Harry Maguire has struggled to live up to the record high price tag paid by Manchester United in 2019 and no one can afford to miss him.
The move to the Premier League giants did not go as planned and the central defender lost his starting place when the club signed Raphael Varane and later Lisandro Martinez.
In fact, Maguire has become a constant joke on social media. Something that spilled over into the national team crowd in March 2022 when England took on Ivory Coast in a friendly.
“I can’t believe what happened at Wembley tonight. Harry Maguire has been a giant for England,” Jordan Henderson, among others, wrote in a long Instagram post.
“Harry was incomparable”
Many pundits did not even think Maguire would feature in the World Cup in England from the starting eleven. Although, just as Henderson mentioned, he’s been a giant lately during Euro 2021.
After three matches, Maguire can be said to have received his acquittal.
– Harry was like no other, says goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
– My relationship with him is great, he played in front of me in most of my international matches and we play very well together.
Pickford believes the centre-back deserves more respect.
– It’s part of football, you will get criticized but Harry is mentally strong, says the goalkeeper.
– I think it was a little unfair to him, but his efforts on the pitch show what a good player he is and why he has so many caps for England.
Period of Use I United
John Stones, a fellow lock position who has started every game in the tournament since the 2018 World Cup, agrees.
– From the very first match, he responded (to criticism) in the best way, says Stones.
– He was great in all three matches and we found our team again. All to his credit, because he has played so many games and ran so much in the club’s team, says it all about the person he is.
Former player and now expert Gary Neville believes he knows why Maguire gets so much acclaim in the national team compared to the club side.
– I think there are some players who feel better in the national team, like Raheem Sterling. “England is a good group and they have a captain who believes in them and gives them chances all the time,” Neville said.
Harry is a good centre-back and has been fantastic in the last two tournaments, he has just had a miserable spell with United in the last 12 months. United is a ruthless place, and I know that from my 20 years there. If you don’t get things right, this place can eat you alive.
The crowd chants his name
What does the audience say? It should be noted that the spectators during training matches differ from those present during tournaments.
The majority of the most dedicated fans in England do not necessarily support any of the Premier League clubs. Thus, they may not have Maguire’s efforts at Man United on the retina.
At the moment, Harry Maguire’s name is the one most frequently chanted in the stands in Qatar.
– I’m very happy for Harry, says Gareth Southgate.
He was a very important player for us and we never hesitated for a second about how important he was to us. He showed it with or without the ball in these matches.
England will face Senegal in the round of 16 on Sunday.