Gareth Southgate pinning England World Cup hopes on his Harry Maguire rebuilding job

Out of favour at Manchester United and maligned by many fans, the centre-back retains the faith of his Three Lions boss

Harry Maguire’s timing was off, in more ways than one. As he clattered into Jamal Musiala, he conceded a penalty and reopened a debate; if, that is, it was ever closed.

For Gareth Southgate, as for many others, the decision is simple. The differences are firstly that Southgate is England manager and his view carries more weight. And secondly, while many another would omit Maguire, Southgate is adamant he is central to his plans.

He framed Maguire’s presence as being in the national interest. “I know everybody says he’s important to me, he’s important to us. It’s us. It’s not me. Why do we pick him? Because he’s one of the players who gives us the best chance of winning. So really we should all be wanting a Harry Maguire that’s playing regularly and playing with confidence,” he argued.

England’s recent history suggests Southgate is right. Their surge to the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup and the final of Euro 2020 came with Maguire integral and in form. He retains his place in his manager’s affections but not the same performance level.

The cumbersome bungler who gifted Germany their lead on Monday night, the magnet for the cameras catching his haunted look, was the Maguire of many a Manchester United defeat, the centre-back Erik ten Hag dropped, not the talismanic figure Southgate remembers.

He is wrestling with similar issues in other positions; a sizeable contingent of his squad are either out of sorts or out of their club sides. Maguire, however, is the face of a problem and perhaps the most extreme example of it. “That applies to quite a few players but he’s the one that everything lands on, which must be a tough space for him really,” Southgate said. “But he’s showing tremendous character.”

It is a word he uses frequently in his defence of the defender. Character has helped Maguire to progress further than many expected. He took the circuitous route to the heart of the England rearguard. A predecessor in the No 6 shirt, Bobby Moore, excelled in a World Cup at 21. At the same age, Maguire had just completed his third season in the third tier with Sheffield United. Raheem Sterling is younger than him and he was chosen for the 2014 World Cup squad. It would have seemed far-fetched that Maguire would join him four years later.

Monday’s mistake will not stop Maguire from going to a fourth consecutive major tournament. Not that his presence at Euro 2016 was noted by Uefa: he was there as an England fan, not a player.

Maybe Southgate, who was scarcely groomed for greatness as a player himself, senses a kindred spirit. England have not played in a semi-final since 1990 without either Southgate or Maguire, the late bloomers, in the heart of their defence.

Maguire has shown a capacity to rebound from disappointment before. His 2020 red card against Denmark came amid a troubled spell. Nine months later, he was named in the team of Euro 2020.

Yet the past year has amounted to an extended slump, costing him his place in the United team, perhaps leaving Southgate hoping for an injury to the injury-prone Raphael Varane that may afford him the chance of first-team football in anything other than the Europa League.

To put it mildly, it is far from the ideal preparation for a World Cup, and Maguire’s footballing travails have been compounded by his status as a scapegoat for many. Some perceptions have changed. He was booed by some supporters before kick-off at Wembley, saluted in song by others after half an hour.

Harry Maguire scores in a World Cup qualifier against Albania at Wembley last year

(The FA/Getty)

“I think he has got the character to get over this because he’s a boy that’s been from Sheffield United, to Hull City, he’s not one where everything has been smooth,” Southgate insisted. “Sometimes you get lads who, in the early part of their career, haven’t had to handle adversity and when it hits them, it’s harder to cope with. He’s like most of us really, in that he’s had lots of hurdles and that shapes your character.”

Maguire has never been the most lithe or elegant. He does not look a natural hurdler. But he has ploughed his way through many of the barriers on an obstacle course of a career path. But if a missed penalty in Euro ’96 was character-building for Southgate, conceding a penalty this week suggested that rebuilding Harry Maguire is an ongoing construction project that may not be finished in time for the World Cup.