Will Harry Maguire play in the England vs Scotland game tonight?
areth Southgate has played down the chances of a much-changed England XI for Tuesday’s friendly against Scotland, saying it would be “ridiculous” to “experiment excessively” at Hampden Park.
England’s clash with its oldest and fiercest rival – being played to mark the 150th anniversary of the first international match between the two nations on November 30, 1872 – is the first friendly in 18 months, following back-to-back wins against Switzerland and the USA Ivory Coast in March 2022.
Southgate was criticized for passing experienced players Jordan Henderson, now playing in Saudi Arabia, and out-of-favour Manchester United defender Harry in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Ukraine in Euro 2024 qualifying Maguire held on but was expected to make changes against the Scots.
The England coach says he can’t “play around” with the team against Steve Clarke’s in-form side, who could become the first nation to reach next summer’s European Championships if results are positive today.
The move has left many wondering how the defender will be consistently selected over other players for the England squad when he is not playing regularly for Manchester United.
What’s the Harry Maguire controversy?
Southgate has repeatedly told the press and fans that he selects players for the England squad based on their performance and recent form, which has led to some fans being confused by some of his decisions.
Will Harry Maguire play for the England team against Scotland?
Maguire was selected for the Ukraine game last week, in which England drew 1-1, although he has only made one appearance so far, coming on as a second-half substitute in the 3-1 defeat to Arsenal last weekend.
Why doesn’t Harry Maguire play for Manchester United?
There has been no official statement as to why Maguire was seemingly dropped, but it is rumored that Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag is not in favor of him.
Manchester United accepted a £30m offer from West Ham for Maguire in the summer, but the deal fell through.
The 30-year-old has slipped down the pecking order from Erik ten Hag after being stripped of the captaincy and is now fourth choice at Old Trafford.
When it was clear the defender would not be continuing, Ten Hag told a press conference he was “happy” and said Maguire would have to fight for his place in the first team like “everyone else”.
He said: “Harry is a player for us, I’m glad he’s here and we need a good squad.”
“We have four good central defenders, then five with Luke Shaw. We need that because we could play 50 to 60 games this season.
“All the players are internationals, we have a lot of dates to cover, so I’m very happy that Harry Maguire is here. Like everyone in the squad, he has to fight for his position. We are building a squad with dual positions, but we need it.”
What did Gareth Southgate say?
After the 1-1 draw with Ukraine, the England coach praised his defense but declined to be formally asked about the Maguire saga.
When asked about his centre-backs in the game, he overall backed the Maguire and Marc Guéhi duo, but chose to highlight Guéhi’s performance.
He said, “Yes, [they were] very good. And especially for Marc [Guéhi]. This is a really great test for a young centre-back in one of his first qualifying games for us [England].”
Previously, Southgate had backed Maguire and suggested that ignoring him for Manchester United would only become a problem if the problem persisted.
He previously said: “Of course he is a very experienced player and did very well in training. Harry knows where our support is.”
https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/is-harry-maguire-playing-england-vs-scotland-match-b1106504.html Will Harry Maguire play in the England vs Scotland game tonight?
