HARRY MAGUIRE rolled out of bed each morning hoping the pain in his ankle would have disappeared.
The Manchester United skipper was praying he would make a miraculous recovery in time for the Europa League final against Villarreal a week ago.
Instead, Maguire suffered heartbreak in the battle to return from ankle damage he sustained in a challenge with Aston Villa’s Anwar El Ghazi towards the end of United’s 3-1 Premier League win on May 9.
Even though United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer refused to rule the defender out of the showpiece at his pre-match press conference in Gdansk, Maguire was unable to run and watched the final training session from the dugout.
Then the match itself was even more frustrating for United as they lost 11-10 on penalties to the Spaniards.
Speaking yesterday, Maguire, 28, was asked about his first thoughts as he sat on the turf waiting for medical attention at Villa Park.
He said: “The fear that I had was missing everything.
“I knew it was quite a bad injury. When I got the results of the scan, I knew it would be unlikely I would made the Europa League final — but we also never ruled it out.
“I would jump out of bed and put weight on my ankle, which I probably should not have done, and test it to see if the pain was still there.
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“Every morning, I woke up wishing the pain would be gone.
“Unfortunately, it was not to be. I knew for me to start the Europa League final was very unlikely but I hoped to play some part.
“However it was out of reach and just not possible.
“Ahead of the final, I could still not run on the ankle.
“But it is now improving and getting better, so I am just looking forward to the Euros.”
Maguire arrived at Old Trafford from Leicester in an £85million deal in 2019, making him the most expensive defender in football history.
At Villa Park, he was making his 72nd appearance in the top flight for United, having not missed a single MINUTE of Premier League action until injury struck.
The centre-back could not play United’s final four Premier League games, but it was his absence from the final against Villarreal where he was really missed.
Former Arsenal boss Unai Emery’s side took the lead from a set-piece, with just the sort of cross you would expect Maguire to block.
But England boss Gareth Southgate will very much still by relying on him this summer after he was named in the 26-man squad for the Euros yesterday.
Maguire added: “I generally try to play through injuries.
“I know it was not the impact of the challenge at Villa that caused it.
“It was more of a twist, so when I did that, I knew it would be some sort of ligament damage.
“And obviously it was really bad timing for myself.
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“To play so many games on the spin and not get many injuries, but to then miss the Europa League final and the end of the season for Manchester United, was disappointing for the club and myself.
“I have not picked up many knocks. You have freak tackles, people falling on you, you twist things, but I have avoided muscle injuries.
“But I am looking forward to getting back as soon as possible.”
- Harry Maguire, along with his brother Laurence who plays for Chesterfield, surprised his old junior football team Brunsmeer yesterday as part of WOW HYDRATE’S grassroots campaign with Tesco, www.wowhydrate.com
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
