If the message wasn’t clear enough by the splinters in his backside from sitting on the Manchester United bench, surely Gareth Southgate’s words will have resonated with Harry Maguire.
The time to move on from Old Trafford is now. For the first time not only is his club career at stake, but also his England one.
Three Lions boss Southgate has shown patience with Maguire’s lack of football and kept him as his preferred pairing alongside John Stones for the World Cup and until this month.
But before the recent qualifier against North Macedonia, and after, Southgate’s statement couldn’t have been much clearer. There’s competition now at centre-back for England for the first time since Maguire took hold of the shirt. No longer is it just Eric Dier behind him, there’s now Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi, Aston Villa’s resurgent Tyrone Mings and Brighton’s Lewis Dunk pushing.
