Harry Maguire’s return to action for England was welcomed by Gareth Southgate, despite keeping two clean sheets in the games they were without the Manchester United captain.
England were largely untroubled by both Croatia and Scotland in those opening two fixtures of this summer’s European Championship but Maguire’s return has added another layer to the defence.
The 28-year-old’s ability to step out with the ball, as well as defending admirably, has meant that the Three Lions have kept five clean sheets from as many games, ensuring Jordan Pickford’s status as this summer’s Golden Glove recipient.
Nemanja Vidic, who also captained the club, has now sung the praises of Maguire after his stellar displays for his national side: “When I look at Maguire I see a defender who is good at everything, 8/10 at everything,” Vidic wrote in The Athletic.
“He’s not as good on the ball or as fast as Rio Ferdinand was for example, and he doesn’t tackle or head like I did, but he has quality across his game. He’s fast enough, he’s strong enough, he can jump and play the ball, his positioning is fine.”
Maguire was handed the ‘Star of the Match’ award for his performance against Germany in the round-of-16 before scoring the important second goal against Ukraine to seal England’s spot in Wednesday’s semi-final.
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