LONDON (Reuters) – England manager Gareth Southgate confirmed on Thursday that Harry Maguire’s absence from matches makes it difficult to guarantee he will start for the national team, while the manager is also concerned about Ivan Toni’s rehabilitation during his eight-month ban.
Maguire, who became the most expensive defender in the world when Manchester United signed him for 80 million pounds sterling, was no longer essential in the center of the defense in his club despite being chosen as captain of the team, and his ranking fell among his position players behind Lisandro Martinez, Rafael Varane and Victor Lindelof, so that left-back Luke Shaw played in the center of defence, so Maguire started just seven league matches this season.
We have Mark Guehi, Louis Dunk and Tyrone Mings, and they are players who play well without the same experience. Clubs in European or international competitions. But we have to keep looking for competition in this area of the pitch.
Southgate was also concerned that Brentford striker Tony’s ban for breaching the FA’s betting rules had left him without the support he needed to rehabilitate. “What bothers me is that we have to look after people,” he said. He’s injured right now, what should he do about getting back in shape?
He concluded: I do not like the idea of leaving someone just so that they are not allowed to be part of the football community, I do not think that this is the way we should work.
