"What a big loss he is to the squad" - Wayne Rooney questions Gareth Southgate's decision to drop Manchester United star
Manchester United legend Wayne Rooney has remarked that Harry Maguire will be a huge miss for England in the Euros. The former Red Devils skipper was left out of England's final squad for the UEFA European Championship 2024 by Gareth Southgate.
The England manager announced his final 26-man squad for the tournament on Friday (June 7). Maguire along with the likes of James Maddison and Jack Grealish were among the big names missing out as Southgate trimmed his 33-man preliminary squad to 26.
It is understood that Maguire was omitted from the squad because of a calf problem he sustained in April. He missed Manchester United's final four league games of the season and is yet to make his way to full fitness.
England suffered a 1-0 defeat to Iceland at Wembley on Friday night in their final friendly game ahead of the Euros. John Stones and Marc Guehi started at the heart of the defence but the former had to be substituted at half time with an ankle injury.
Wayne Rooney hoped that Stones' injury is not too serious and insisted that the Three Lions looked disjointed defensively. The former Manchester United striker also insisted that Maguire's experience will be a huge miss. Rooney said, as quoted by The Daily Mail:
"Obviously, hopefully John’s okay. Tonight, the back line were a little bit disjointed at times and that’s through a lack of experience and again, that’s something I’m sure Gareth and the coaches will be showing them."
The former England international, who has recently been appointed the manager of Championship side Plymouth Argyle, added:
"They have to get that right because we’re so excited about the attacking players we’ve got in this team, they have to be backed up by the back line and being aggressive. I think tonight actually shows the importance of Harry Maguire to this England team and what a big loss he is to the squad."
Maguire has been one of Gareth Southgate's favorites in the England setup despite his underwhelming stint at Manchester United. The 31-year-old has earned 63 caps for the Three Lions over the years and has always delivered for his country.
The former Leicester City defender had a pretty solid season last time out, somewhat resurrecting his career at Old Trafford. He featured 31 times for Erik ten Hag's side during the last campaign.
Pundit claims Manchester United have lost their pulling power
Pundit Richard Keys has claimed that Manchester United don't enjoy the pulling power they used to have. The Red Devils lost out to Chelsea in the race to sign Tosin Adarabioyo on a free transfer.
Keys claimed that the Red Devils have lost their appeal and cannot attract top players any more. He wrote on X (formerly Twitter):
"If Utd can’t persuade the likes of Tosin Adarabioyo to join them that tells me they are no longer a ‘go to’ destination for top players."
Manchester United reportedly made a late attempt to sign Adarabioyo whose deal with Fulham is set to expire this month. However, the former Manchester City academy graduate had already agreed a move to Stamford Bridge by then.