Manchester United’s England defender Harry Maguire has been handed a cruel World Cup verdict by Roy Keane.
Roy Keane delivers cruel verdict on Harry Maguire after being left out of England’s World Cup squad (Image: ITV)
Roy Keane says Harry Maguire is certain to be left out of England’s World Cup squad. The Manchester United star was one of a number of controversial players to miss out, but Keane insists he is the only one to blame.
Speaking ahead of the Three Lions’ friendly against New Zealand, he said: “Every time we play England, we talk a lot about players who have been left out of the squad, players who have been left out of the starting lineup.
“But if you don’t make the 26-man squad, I think it’s your fault. It’s the player’s fault. You haven’t tried hard enough to convince the manager and there’s always going to be a big fuss with England about players being left out if they play for a particular club, but that’s your fault. If you don’t make the 26-man squad, it’s your fault. Don’t blame others.”
Maguire was almost certain to be included in Tuchel’s provisional 55-man squad, but two defenders, Dan Byrne and Jarrell Quansah, were selected ahead of him.
Phil Foden, Cole Palmer, Adam Wharton, Lewis Hall and Morgan Gibbs-White were surprisingly omitted.
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England begin their World Cup campaign nine days later against Croatia. Their other opponents in the group stage will be Ghana and Panama, and their last game before the tournament begins will be against Costa Rice in a friendly.
Maguire would have preferred to feature prominently, but is instead expected to appear as a guest on the podcast The Rest is Football after signing a deal with Netflix to stream daily episodes.
Harry Maguire to appear on World Cup podcast ‘The Rest is Football’
Other celebrities will appear on the show in New York, along with Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer, and third presenter Micah Richards will also be in the US, but most will return to Salford.
However, the 33-year-old would definitely have preferred to play for his home country and his statement after the decision shows just that.
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“After the season so far, I was confident that I could play a key role for my country this summer. Shocked and devastated by this decision,” he wrote on Instagram.
“Over the years I have loved nothing more than wearing that shirt and representing my country and I wish the players all the best this summer.”
The absence of Maguire and Luke Shaw will at least be a positive for Michael Carrick as he prepares for his first pre-season on a permanent transfer from Manchester United.
