Harry Maguire insists possible semi-final suspension won’t affect Ukraine performance

Harry Maguire’s return from injury came as a huge boost to England’s chances at this summer’s European Championship. The defender was a doubt heading into the tournament but recovered in time to play their final group game against the Czech Republic.

Maguire, who was handed the ‘Star of the Match’ award for his fine display against Germany, will be suspended for the semi-final, if England make it through, should he be booked against Ukraine.

The 28-year-old has insisted that the threat of missing out on an appearance in the semi-final won’t affect his performance whilst also sending sly digs at UEFA for the rule.

“First and foremost, two yellow cards in five games seems a bit steep for the punishment of missing a semi-final but that is the rules and that’s what we have to deal with,” Maguire is quoted as saying by The Independent.

“But for me, I’ll just be going to the game as normal. Listen, you don’t play in a quarter-final for your country often, we haven’t reached that many times in the past.

“So the opportunity is there to go and perform and do everything I can to reach a semi-final and then we’ll think about that when it comes. At the moment I am just fully focused on the quarter-final and that’s what I’ll be thinking about, I’ll just be playing a normal game.”

The prospect of not having the Manchester United captain in a semi-final against either Denmark or the Czech Republic has led to some fans calling for Tyrone Mings to replace him, but Maguire seems intent on featuring for his side.

All yellow cards are wiped after the quarter-finals, meaning that an accumulation of yellow cards will not result in a suspension in an eventual final.

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