Harry Maguire made his first appearance for England since September 2024 during the international break, with manager Thomas Tuchel saying he was his fifth choice at centre-back.
Harry Maguire recently returned to England (Image: Robin Jones/Getty Images)
Former England manager Sam Allardyce has told Harry Maguire to consider refusing his World Cup call-up following Thomas Tuchel’s “harsh” comments. Maguire, 33, started in the 1-1 draw against Uruguay on Friday, ending an 18-month absence from the national team.
The Manchester United star also wore the captain’s armband during Tuesday’s 1-0 defeat against Japan. However, during the friendly, Tuchel revealed that Maguire was fifth in the centre-back pecking order.
“I see Ezri Konsa in front of me, I see Marc Gehi in front of me, it’s no secret,” the German said in a press conference. “I think Trevor Chalobah was a little bit better in terms of mobility, as was John Stones, but he had an injury so he had to come to camp.”
Allardyce responded by saying that if he were Maguire, he would consider ending his international career, ignoring a potential call-up in June. “As far as I know he was an exemplary professional,” Allardyce said on the No Tippy Tappy Football podcast.
Follow Man United’s FB page! Keep up with the latest United news and more on our dedicated Facebook page
read more: Thomas Tuchel talks about awkward moment on ITV as England manager says he doesn’t want to be involvedread more: Thomas Tuchel says England’s Harry Kane issue is ‘totally normal’ amid Lionel Messi evidence
“He takes all the criticism in stride and he’s proving everyone wrong at the moment. So it’s a tough criticism, but if he said that about me, would I want to be in his (Tuchel’s) team too?”
The former Three Lions manager continued: “I would say, ‘I’m 33 years old, maybe I’ll make a decision, okay’… If you look at your career, you’ve had international experience, you start to decline. No matter how healthy you are, after 30… there’s nothing worse than thinking it’s over.”
Meanwhile, former United and England centre-back Rio Ferdinand believes Maguire will take Tuchel’s ruling as an “insult”. “He’ll sit there and think, ‘Wait a minute, I’m over this,'” Ferdinand said on his YouTube channel.
Do you agree with Sam Allardyce? Share your thoughts in the comments section.
Sam Allardyce would consider ending his international career if he were in Harry Maguire’s shoes (Image: Alex Livesey – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
“From Coach Tuchel’s point of view, he is using the word mobility. Other players have more. I understand what he is saying. No one has to agree with it.”
Maguire has won 65 caps for England, the majority of them under manager Gareth Southgate. A combination of injury and lack of appearances at club level led to him being left out of the England squad, but he has bounced back under interim United manager Michael Carrick and is now back.
However, Maguire will not play again for United until at least April 18th. That’s because he was shown a red card in the Red Devils’ last game and will miss the game when they host Leeds United.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
