Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has been urged to visit a psychologist by former Red Devils right-back Gary Neville after a particularly disastrous display while on England duty.
The central defender has endured a miserable season so far, starting just three times for the club he skippers across all competitions. To make matters worse, all three of those starts have ended in defeat by Brighton, Brentford and Real Sociedad respectively.
Things haven't fared better on the international stage, with Maguire playing a huge part in two of the three goals England conceded during their 3-3 draw against Germany at Wembley on Monday night. The two blunders have only made the calls for the defender to be dropped ahead of the World Cup even louder.
Neville has offered up some words of wisdom for Maguire and discussed what steps he should take next to deal with the intense backlash surrounding the quality of his performances.
"I've been there," said the former Three Lions star turned popular pundit. "Every player has. When I lost my confidence, I saw a psychologist to help me through those moments. But there's nothing you can do other than show up, try your best and not give in.
"At some point, his form will return. I would suggest he does what I did. I did go and see my doctor at Manchester United. I did go and see a psychologist. You do need external help at times."
Maguire has one passionate supporter in the form of England boss Gareth Southgate, who himself has come in for serious criticism and accusations of blind loyalty as a result of his commitment to picking the centre-back seemingly every game despite the poor form.
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In the immediate aftermath of that thrilling encounter with Germany, Southgate addressed the elephant in the room and openly discussed his thoughts on selecting Maguire.
"I know everybody says he's important to me, he's important to us! It's us. It's not me," the England manager added. "Why do we pick him? Because he's one of the players who gives us the best chance of winning.
"We should all be wanting a Harry Maguire who's playing regularly and with confidence.
"That applies to quite a few players but he’s the one everything lands on which must be a tough space for him. But he’s showing tremendous character."
Having lost his place at club level just over a month before the World Cup starts, many players would be fearing for their chances of making the plane for Qatar - in truth, it is unlikely Maguire is despite the recent standard of his performance.
That is the reason so many are annoyed by both Maguire and Southgate, the defender's place in the England squad appears to be a sure thing instead of a privilege that should be earned.
