Why did England recall Maguire?

Despite not having played a single minute for Man Utd this season, center-back Harry Maguire is still highly regarded by manager Gareth Southgate for his experience and has been called up to the England squad for the Euro 2024 qualifiers.

On August 31st, Southgate announced the 26-man England squad for the two Group C Euro 2024 qualifying matches against Ukraine on September 9th and Scotland on September 12th. The Three Lions currently lead the group with 12 points, six points ahead of Ukraine.

Of the names called up, Maguire and Phillips are the most controversial. Maguire lost his starting place under manager Erik ten Hag and only made eight starts in the Premier League in the 2022-2023 season. This season, the 30-year-old center-back was even stripped of the captain's armband and hasn't played a single minute.

Maguire warms up for a Premier League match in the new season, but he hasn't played a single minute in the first three rounds. Photo: Reuters — Maguire warms up for a Premier League match in the new season, but he hasn't played a single minute in the first three rounds. Photo: *Reuters*

Similarly, Phillips only made 12 appearances from the bench in the Premier League last season and hasn't played a single minute this season. The 27-year-old midfielder has been unable to compete for a regular starting place since joining Man City for $61 million in the summer of 2022, and was even dropped from the squad by manager Pep Guardiola for being overweight.

In the press conference announcing the 26-man squad, Southgate admitted that Maguire and Phillips are not in ideal situations, but praised the duo's experience. The 52-year-old coach said that England are lacking experienced options with Tyrone Mings seriously injured, John Stones out since the start of the season, Eric Dier yet to feature for Tottenham, and Conor Coady also sidelined, even playing for Leicester in the Championship.

"We don't have many options with players who have represented the national team over the years. With the next two games, it's important that England have experienced players in that area on the pitch," Southgate explained his decision to call up Maguire and Phillips.

Another controversial name is Jordan Henderson – the midfielder who moved to Al Ettifaq in the Saudi Pro League. But Southgate said he had been watching Henderson play in Saudi Arabia and wanted to see if the 33-year-old could perform at the highest level.

Raheem Sterling, who is in excellent form for Chelsea, has been left out of the national team for the third consecutive time. Southgate believes Sterling has had a good start to the season, but is satisfied with England's attacking options. Therefore, he doesn't want to disrupt the squad by dropping a player in order to bring Sterling back.

The England squad this time still includes key players such as Harry Kane, Declan Rice, Kyle Walker, and Jude Bellingham. Southgate also gave opportunities to Eddie Nketiah – the striker who scored two goals in Arsenal's opening Premier League match, and Levi Colwill – the center-back who is competing for a starting place at Chelsea and was a member of the England U21 team that won Euro 2023.

England's squad list

Goalkeepers: Sam Johnstone, Jordan Pickford, Aaron Ramsdale.

Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ben Chilwell, Levi Colwill, Lewis Dunk, Marc Guehi, Harry Maguire, Fikayo Tomori, Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker.

Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Conor Gallagher, Jordan Henderson, Kalvin Phillips, Declan Rice.

Forwards: Eberechi Eze, Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Harry Kane, James Maddison, Eddie Nketiah, Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka, Callum Wilson.

Hong Duy

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