The Qatar World Cup kicks off in just a few days and when Gareth Southgate names his final squad on Thursday, there are expected to be some Manchester United stars.
One of them is likely to be Harry Maguire.
The English centre-back lost his place in the United squad, with Erik ten Hag preferring a defensive pairing of Lisandro MartÃnez and Raphael Varane.
However, Southgate is a big fan of the United captain and has indicated that he still has a lot of trust in the player who has hardly made a single misstep for England.
At times, Southgate’s staunch defense of Maguire has not gone down well with English fans who do not share his view of the United defender.
These same sentiments were shared by former Liverpool man Glen Johnson, who said that Maguire should not join the rest of the team leaving for Qatar.
Johnson said the Three Lions have a big “problem” with Maguire and should leave him out of the traveling group in favor of other stars.
Johnson said, via The Manchester Evening News: “As a neutral, I think if a player can’t get into his club squad, how can he be good enough for England?”
“That’s what I would be thinking.”
“I know it’s United and they have a good team, but if Harry Maguire is rated as one of our best centre-backs and he can’t get into his club squad then I think we have a problem.”
While Johnson may have raised a valid point, it’s important to note that the 29-year-old has been largely flawless in an England shirt.
In the run-up to the Euros, he was sidelined with injury, but on his return, he was one of England’s best players and was even named in the team of the tournament as he helped his country reach the final. .
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