Harry Maguire must go back to basics to regain his confidence ahead of the World Cupwe told talkSPORT.
The experienced defender is going through a torrid time for club and country after losing his place in Manchester United’s starting XI at the start of the season.
Maguire was given a rare opportunity when selected by Gareth Southgate for England’s Nations League clashes with Italy and Germany, but his performances drew even more criticism.
After a 1-0 defeat at the San Siro, the 29-year-old made two costly mistakes for England in the 3-3 draw with Germany, including giving away a penalty which was converted by Ilkay Gundogan.
While many have expressed sympathy for Maguire’s situation, talkSPORT presenter and Man United fan Mark Goldbridge believes the club must do all they can to help him regain his form in the weeks to come. come before the World Cup.
Speaking on Hawksbee and Baker, Goldbridge said: “Watching him against Germany last night, there’s no doubt he watched his game.
“I think Manchester United have 13 games to play before the World Cup, it’s literally every three or four days, so there will be opportunities, but we have two games against Cypriot side Omonia.
“It’s not the level you want an England centre-back to play against before the World Cup and he may even be injured as well.
“I just don’t understand why Gareth Southgate kept him on the pitch for 10 minutes with Harry Kane saying at the end of the game what a warrior Maguire was with two centre-backs and another sub he could have done.
“As a Man United fan, I’m not thrilled about that because if he’s out for three or four weeks it really hampers his World Cup hopes, but also Manchester United.”
He added: “Manchester United fans are a bit mixed on Harry Maguire but what I would say is he deserves the criticism and he deserves to be on the bench due to his lack of form. .
“There’s no doubt that he’s not a bad centre-back, but he’s in bad form at the moment.
“He can be very useful to Man United but it’s almost about going back to basics.
“As far as I’m concerned, Ben White should have been in this England team, Fikayo Tomori should have had playing time, but we’ve come up against Maguire twice when he’s not fit.
“Sometimes you just have to accept it. Accept that he’s out of shape and go back to basics to take the pressure off him, clear his head, enjoy training and working for the World Cup rather than magically regaining his form.
“He does things he normally wouldn’t do and because of that he makes mistakes that damage his confidence even more.”
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