Will Maguire be dropped by England after more mistakes? Southgate reacts to Germany disasterclass from Man Utd defender

Harry Maguire made more high-profile mistakes during England’s 3-3 draw with Germany, but Gareth Southgate believes dropping him is “impossible”.

Fallen out of favour at Man Utd
Conceded penalty against Germany
Has full support of Three Lions boss

WHAT HAPPENED? The Manchester United defender, who has slipped out of favour and onto the bench at Old Trafford, conceded a penalty at Wembley on Monday night after giving the ball away on the edge of his own box to Bayern Munich youngster Jamal Musiala. He looked rusty throughout, as a lack of domestic game time catches up with him, but the 29-year-old can count on the full support of his international boss heading towards the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar.

WHAT THEY SAID: Southgate told reporters when asked if Maguire’s form is a source of concern and could lead to him being replaced in the Three Lions’ favoured starting XI: “I know everyone will focus on Harry but there were some very important moments that Harry delivered during the two matches. Luke Shaw was another example of somebody [who delivered moments], he’s an outstanding footballer.

“So what do we do? Not pick Luke Shaw because he’s not playing enough football or do we pick a player who can do what we saw tonight? That’s always going to raise debate but I think in these moments we’ve got to back our best and our most experienced players unless we’re in a situation where it’s almost untenable and impossible to pick them.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE: England captain Harry Kane claimed afterwards that Maguire had picked up a “decent injury” late on against Germany which left him playing on “one leg”, while the man himself has posted a message on social media in which he sought to shrug off more costly errors. Maguire said: “Mistakes are part of the game, I apologise. Great fight back and spirit to get us back into the game by the lads. Take the positives and look forward to Qatar. The tough times will make us stronger.”

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DID YOU KNOW? England are winless in their last six games in all competitions (D3 L3), their longest run since April-June 1993 (also six). It’s their longest ever winless run going into a major tournament.

WHAT NEXT FOR MAGUIRE? England will open their quest for World Cup glory against Iran on November 21, but collective focus is about to switch back to club matters as Maguire returns to Manchester ahead of United’s derby date with neighbours City on Sunday.