Harry Maguire has revealed that his ankle ‘is improving’ after the defender was ruled out of United’s last four games of the season. Gareth Southgate admitted that the United skipper’s physical state was ‘not ideal’ but still decided to include him in his 26-man squad for the tournament.
The 28-year-old missed last weeks Europa League final due to the injury and doubts have been raised over his fitness, with Rio Ferdinand even claiming that he should not have been called up to the squad.
“The fear that I had was missing everything,” Maguire told The Sun. “I knew it was quite a bad injury. When I got the results of the scan, I knew it would be unlikely I would make 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. 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 is set to join the rest of the England squad this week after all United players were granted an extended break due to their involvement in the Europa League, and will be assessed by England’s medical team.
The injury sustained against Aston Villa last month is the first time Maguire has suffered ligament damage, which is said to be tough to overcome for the first time. But Gareth Southgate will be hoping that his first-choice defender is ready to battle it out against Croatia on June 13.
Ole Gunnar Solskjær’s pre-season preparations have already begun and he will be sure to keep an eye out on the situation.
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