Gareth Southgate has insisted he still has faith in Harry Maguire by declaring the out-of-form Manchester United captain has proved he can excel at the top level in international football.
The England manager said Maguire has credit in the bank after helping his country finish fourth in the 2018 World Cup and become runners-up in Euro 2020, when he was a pillar of the defence who did not concede in open play.
But while Southgate has retained faith in the centre-back despite some torrid times in a United shirt, he warned that his patience is not unlimited. He has dropped Maguire’s Old Trafford teammates Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho and hinted that he is prepared to omit the defender if his struggles continue.
However, he is keen to reward players who have served him well in the past and Maguire, whose 41 caps have all come under Southgate, was named in Uefa’s team of the tournament for Euro 2020.
The England manager said: “He has helped get us to a World Cup semi-final and a European Championship final so there is no doubt he is more than capable of playing for us at a high level. He was more than capable for us in autumn.
“Selection is always a difficult conundrum because we have got players we know have performed well in an England shirt. There has got to be some level of scrutiny of how people are performing with their clubs. That has got to be a factor.
“The club [United] are in a difficult moment and there could be any number of reasons for that. That doesn’t mean players can be poor for a couple of years and still find their way in. Sometimes it depends on competition for positions. We have left some forward players out who haven’t been in good form but there are direct replacements.”
Maguire is likely to begin against Ivory Coast on Tuesday after being rested for Saturday’s 2-1 victory against Switzerland. Harry Kane’s winner then was his 49th international goal, drawing him level with Sir Bobby Charlton and leaving only Wayne Rooney ahead of him.
Southgate will probably pick many of the players who were substitutes on Saturday but said Kane’s determination to start reminds him of some of England’s centurions.
England 2 Switzerland 1: player ratings
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ENGLAND RATINGS: Jordan Pickford 8 - Produced at least four good saves to keep England in the game in the first half; the pick of the bunch a reflex save that tipped the ball onto the cross bar from Silvan Widmer’s 10 yard shot. One of the Everton stopper’s most accomplished performances in an England shirt. PA -
Ben White 5 - The Arsenal defender was thrust into the starting line-up at the last minute after John Stones picked up an injury in the warm up. Got caught ball watching when he lost Embolo for Switzerland’s opener. Distribution wasn’t great along with the rest of the England back four. Looked a bit more comfortable at right-back in the second half. AFP -
Conor Coady 6 - Along with his fellow defenders, he didn’t move the ball quickly enough in the first half which contributed to England’s lack of fluidity in possession. Produced a good save from Omlin with a header in injury time. AFP -
Marc Guehi 6 - A solid debut for the Crystal Palace defender. Took time to adjust to a lively Switzerland attack but settled into the game and looked more comfortable in a back four. AFP -
Kyle Walker-Peters 6 - The 24-year-old debutant smashed the post after a lovely piece of play involving Mount and Foden, but the latter was offside in the build-up and it wouldn’t have counted. AFP -
Jordan Henderson 6 - Failed to get a grip of the midfield in a first half that Switzerland dominated. Better second 45 from the Liverpool captain, more like him in terms of his energy and drive. Action Images -
Conor Gallagher 7 - Almost curled one into the far corner early in the game when he checked back onto his left foot after some neat link up play from Foden, but Widmer headed over. Lovely lofted pass for Kane early in the second half to put the England skipper in on goal. Always positive and lively. One of the few England players with pass marks in the first half. AFP -
Luke Shaw 6 - Failed to get close enough to stop Shaqiri’s cross for the goal, but made amends when he arrived at pace to fire a crisp, powerful strike for his second goal in three games, which was more than England deserved in a first half dominated by the Swiss. Getty -
Phil Foden 5 - The Manchester City midfielder struggled to influence the game. Always a willing runner, and pressed well out of possession, but lacked the quality and end product on the night. AFP -
Mason Mount 5 - Failed to make any impact. A couple of through balls almost found their target, but the Switzerland midfield swarmed around any time it looked like he had space. AFP -
Harry Kane 6 - Held onto the ball far too long in the first half and made poor decisions in possession. Denied by the face of Omlin after being put in on goal from a lovely lofted pass from Gallagher. Scored his 49th goal from the penalty spot, smashing his spot kick low to Omlin’s right in the 78th minute with England benefiting from a handball by Zuber. AFP -
SUBS: Declan Rice 6 – (Gallagher 61’) Immediately showed his class. His reading of the game and ability to snuff out attacks allowed England to play more on the front foot. Getty -
Tyrick Mitchell 5 – (Shaw 62’). The Crystal Palace full-back put in an inviting cross for Kane midway through the second half and the striker should’ve done better. Tended to dive in when faced up in one-v-one situations. Reuters -
Raheem Sterling 5 – (Walker-Peters 62’). Looked lively in the final third without really creating anything clear cut. AFP -
Jack Grealish 5 – (Mount 62’). Tried to inject some energy into a lacklustre England performance. Reuters -
Jude Bellingham N/A – (Foden 79’). AP -
Ollie Watkins - N/A (Kane 89’) Getty -
SWITZERLAND RATINGS: Jonas Omlin 7 - No chance with Shaw’s strike and didn’t have too much to do up until then. Had a busier second 45. Rushed from his goal to deny Kane with his face 7 minutes after half-time and made a solid stop from Coady’s header later on. AFP -
Silvan Widmer 7 - Excellent recovery to deny Conor Gallagher wen the big defender headed over just as it looked like Gallagher’s curling effort was looping over Omlin into the far corner. Unfortunately had to be substituted after 37 minutes after taking a kick on his achilles from Foden earlier in the half. PA -
Manuel Akanji 7 - The Borussia Dortmund defender dealt confidently with everything in the air and looked comfortable in possession. Didn’t give Kane much joy all night. AFP -
Fabian Frei 7 - Smashed a half volley which Pickford reacted well and touched onto the bar to deny Switzerland doubling their lead three minutes after Switzerland’s opener. Good use of the ball, by breaking lines and stepping in to start attacks, however a poor clearance intercepted by Walker-Peters lead to England's equaliser in first half injury time. AFP -
Ricardo Rodriguez 7 - Banged in a shot from the edge of the area in the first half that Pickford parried away and was always a threat in possession as he probed and tested the England back line. Getty -
Remo Freuler 7 - Good energy and use of the ball in the Swiss midfield from the Atalanta midfielder. Didn’t give the England midfield any time in possession and always looked to play forward. AFP -
Granit Xhaka 8 - Tested Pickford from range with a low left foot daisy cutter after 20 minutes which the England keeper stopped with a strong wrist. Always looked quality in possession, dictating the tempo when he had the ball. Was the best player on the park in the first half. EPA -
Renato Steffen 6 - Looked to get in behind Luke Shaw and caused England concern in the first half. Linked well with Shaqiri. Action Images -
Xherdan Shaqiri 8 - Produced a sublime cross for Switzerland’s opening goal when he curled a pinpoint delivery onto the head of Embolo who guided a header past Pickford into the far corner. Almost scored cheekily directly from a corner, the former Liverpool fans’ favourite looked like he enjoyed himself playing against his old skipper, Henderson, and he showed his quality all night. EPA -
Ruben Vargas 7 - The young Augsberg winger wasn't afraid to be direct and got his side into good positions in the England half. Worked hard off the ball and stifled Walker-Peter’s attacking threat. AFP -
Breel Embolo 8 - Peeled off Ben White and directed his header back across Pickford for Switzerland’s well worked opener in the 22 minute. Held the ball up well and allowed his side to play in the attacking third. Always a problem for the England defence. AFP -
SUBS: Kevin Mbabu 7 – (Widmer 37’) Seamlessly settled in to the pace of the game. Defended well and surged forward at every opportunity, producing dangerous crosses in the second half. AFP -
Andi Zeqiri 7 – (Steffen 62’) A lively addition to the Swiss attack. AP -
Steven Zuber 6 – (Freuler 63’) Worked hard attempting to turn the tide when England started to get the upper hand. EPA -
Djibril Sow 6 – (Vargas 63’) Kept possession well under pressure and and looked to drive with the ball when space opened up. Getty -
Mario Gavranovic N/A - (Embolo 80’). EPA -
Michel Aebischer N/A - (Shaqiri 80’). AFP
“If he had his way he would play 90 minutes of every fixture which is a brilliant quality to have because if your captain wants to be at every camp and playing every minute of every game, it sets the tone for everything else,” he added.
“It is why he has the number of caps he has. We used to talk about [Steven] Gerrard and [Frank] Lampard and Ashley Cole, they got 100-plus caps because they committed every time to coming with England. That’s what you want.”
Luke Shaw, another who has had a difficult campaign with United, praised Southgate for creating an enjoyable atmosphere with England but the manager felt the credit belongs with the squad.
“I hope we have an environment where all the players think they can be the best version of themselves,” he said. “We have got super characters. I am looking at the young players coming in, the older ones are sitting with them at mealtimes, making them feel at ease.”
Tyrone Mings’ place in the squad could be under threat after Marc Guehi made an assured debut on Saturday but the Aston Villa captain believes the strength in depth is beneficial. “That is only a good thing for England so that is not something to be necessarily scared by or threatened by,” he said. “I think it is really healthy and we will see the benefits on the pitch.”
