{"id":76850,"date":"2022-03-29T14:45:41","date_gmt":"2022-03-29T14:45:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/en.bornomalanews.com\/?p=76850"},"modified":"2022-03-29T14:45:41","modified_gmt":"2022-03-29T14:45:41","slug":"gareth-southgate-backs-harry-maguire-to-perform-for-england-amid-poor-spell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.bornomalanews.com\/?p=76850","title":{"rendered":"Gareth Southgate backs Harry Maguire to perform for England amid poor spell"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Sports Desk:<\/strong> England\u00a0manager Gareth Southgate has backed Manchester United\u2019s Harry Maguire to overcome his slump in form but said on Monday that the situation involving the centre back was complicated ahead of the World Cup in Qatar later this year.<\/p>\n

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The 29-year-old, who was on the bench for the 2-1 friendly win against Switzerland on Saturday, has come in for fierce criticism this season, raising questions about his future as an England regular heading into the showpiece tournament.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s more than capable of playing for us at the highest level. (United) are in a difficult moment, there could be any number of reasons for that,\u201d Southgate told reporters ahead of Tuesday\u2019s home friendly against Ivory Coast.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat doesn\u2019t mean players can be poor for a couple of years and still get in. It also depends on competition in those positions. It is complicated \u2026 we need the best players possible. Maguire was very good in the autumn and he helped get us to a World Cup semi-final and a Euro final.\u201d<\/p>\n

England laboured to a victory against the Swiss in a largely uninspiring affair at Wembley but Southgate praised his players, saying they were able to find solutions against a difficult opposition.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever we bring players into the squad, it is great to see how they cope. Sometimes, it isn\u2019t about the opposition quality, although (against Switzerland) that was high,\u201d said Southgate.<\/p>\n

\u201cSometimes, it is about the weight of an England shirt and whether they can cope. I thought all of the players who came in did really well. That was positive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Centre back John Stones, who withdrew from the starting lineup against the Swiss due to an injury in the warm-up, will not be involved on Tuesday after returning to Manchester City.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter today\u2019s session at Tottenham Hotspur\u2019s training ground, it was decided that Stones would play no part against Cote d\u2019Ivoire and has returned to his club as a precaution,\u201d the England team said in a statement.<\/p>\n

Southgate also hinted that captain Harry Kane, who moved within four goals of England\u2019s all-time scoring record \u2014 Wayne Rooney\u2019s 53 \u2014 with his winner at the weekend, could be rested against Ivory Coast to give opportunities to others.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he had his way, he\u2019s play all the time. That is a brilliant quality to have. If your captain wants to be at every camp, playing every game, that sets the tone,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n