GARETH SOUTHGATE may not seem to mind either way but Harry Maguire knows his situation at Manchester United cannot go on forever.
And if Erik ten Hag continues to limit the defender’s game-time to around a match a month, he will need to have a word with the club about his future.
Maguire completed the full 90 minutes — plus the considerable injury time — in Saturday’s dramatic 2-1 win over Brentford, teeing-up Scott McTominay’s 97th-minute winner.
But the 30-year-old was only selected because other defenders were injured and is set to be back on the bench when the likes of Raphael Varane return to fitness.
England boss Southgate would obviously prefer Maguire to be playing regularly.
But despite his reduced role at Old Trafford, Southgate has once again picked him for his squad for tomorrow’s friendly with Australia and Tuesday’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Italy.
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Yet Maguire is adamant his record under Ten Hag — where he has won 14 of the 18 games he has started during the Dutchman’s reign — is stone-cold evidence of his quality.
And that gives him confidence he can turn it around and still have a future at the Theatre of Dreams.
The centre-back, who joined United from Leicester for £85million in August 2019, said: “I am not going to sit here all my life and play once a month.
“If it carries on I am sure myself and the club will sit down and have a chat about things.
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“But at the moment I am focused on two big games for England.
“And then I am fully focused on fighting to try and win back my place at Manchester United and trying to help the team climb up the league to where we should be.
“I have belief in my ability and what I have done in my career.
“Every player who is on the bench should believe they should be starting otherwise they wouldn’t be playing at a high level.
“I am no different. It has been tough, I want to play games, I want to feel important to the club and to the rest of the team.
“I haven’t been playing nowhere near as much as I would like.
“I just have to make sure I am ready to take the opportunities when they come along.”
After a year of criticism from pundits and fans about his performances — as well as nasty abuse from online trolls — Saturday must have been a strange experience for Maguire.
Instead of the usual sniping, he was widely praised for his performance as an unconvincing United somehow turned it around against the Bees thanks to two injury-time McTominay goals.
And some United fans are now calling on Ten Hag to stick with Maguire, who revealed his gaffer told him “really well done” in the dressing room after the win.
Yet when asked if this can be a turning point for him to get back into the Dutchman’s team regularly, Maguire was unsure.
The former Foxes man — whose transfer to United is still the world-record fee for a defender — said: “It’s not my decision to whether I start the next game or not.
“If you look back on my last 15-20 starts for club and country, I would be happy to sit here and say I’m really happy with my performances.
“My record under this manager speaks for itself. I haven’t started as many games as I like but my win percentage when I’ve played is ridiculously high.
“Of course there are times when I could do more and could improve.
“I can only do what I’ve been doing when I’ve come into the team, bringing positive performances.
“I’ve started two games this season and come on in a few off the bench.
“The manager can only watch training and make his decisions from training in the games when I get the opportunity to play.
“I’ll keep working hard, I’ll keep pushing, I have great belief in myself and I’m sure there will be opportunities to come.”
Maguire would have played more had he left the club in the summer.
West Ham were very interested but the Sheffield-born star revealed it never got as far as him saying yes or no to the Irons because the clubs could not come to an agreement.
Ten Hag may not be convinced by Maguire but Southgate’s faith in him could not be stronger.
In fairness, he has rarely let Southgate down with his England performances and will hope to repay that loyalty again tomorrow if selected against the Aussies.
This week it was revealed England will co-host Euro 2028.
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Maguire will be 35 by then so likely not in the reckoning — but his passion for his country means he will be involved in some capacity.
He added: “I’ll either be in the stands with my mates having a few pints or in the squad, helping the lads.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
