Harry Maguire to be handed England recall for next month’s Nations League games, says Gareth Southgate

Southgate will not hesitate in bringing the Manchester United captain back into his squad for next month’s games against Belgium and Denmark after dropping him following his arrest in Greece last month

Gareth Southgate will recall Harry Maguire to his England squad for next month’s Nations League games against Belgium and Denmark, despite the legal uncertainty hanging over the Manchester United captain.

Maguire has appealed a suspended jail sentence of 21 months and 10 days following his charge for aggravated assault in Greece, a move that nullifies the original verdict as a full re-trial will now take place.

Following the guilty verdict - which also saw the 27-year-old charged with resisting arrest and repeated attempts of bribery - the defender was removed from Gareth Southgate’s squad for the upcoming games against Iceland on Saturday and Tuesday’s clash with Denmark.

But the England manager will not hesitate in bringing Maguire back into the fold next month when the Nations League continues, with the Three Lions boss standing by the United captain as he looks to clear his name.

Asked whether he has spoken to Maguire about coming back into the squad next month, Southgate said: “Yes and yes. We’ve been in touch right through the last two and half weeks.

“It's clearly been a really difficult period for him and I think the last few days have been very important for him to relax, get away from all the attention and mentally get a rest, because he had a short break anyway but the events in Greece really dominated that.

“He needs that time to switch off, and then go back to his club and then absolutely we will involve him in October."

Maguire maintains his innocence following his arrest on 21 August after an alleged incident and has lodged an appeal with the Greek court system, with the United skipper saying he feared for his life during his arrest.