Gareth Southgate has come out in strong defence of Harry Maguire and revealed he is willing to stake his own reputation on selecting the centre-back for England.
Manchester United captain Maguire's poor club form has continued this season after he put in two disastrous performances in the opening defeats to Brighton and Brentford. Erik ten Hag has dropped the centre-back for the four Premier League matches that have come since and United have won all four.
Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez' blossoming partnership in the heart of defence means a route back into the starting XI is looking hard to come by for Maguire, but that hasn't put his place in the England squad in any doubt. Despite his struggles for United, Maguire has remained a key player for the Three Lions and was pivotal in last summer's run to the Euro 2020 final.
