Former Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa manager Tim Sherwood has said in a recent interview with William Hill that Manchester United boss Erik Ten Hag owes Harry Maguire an ‘apology’.

Sherwood heaped praise on Maguire in the interview, lauding his attitude and desire to fight for a regular place in the squad – despite most audiences believing his time at the club is over.

Additionally, Sherwood also praised Gareth Southgate for continually including Maguire in the England squad – he believes that the former Sheffield United man ‘has always performed in an England shirt’.

What did Tim Sherwood say regarding Harry Maguire at Manchester United?

On Erik Ten Hag and Harry Maguire, Sherwood mused: “I’ve got a lot of time for Harry Maguire. He was getting shoved out the door and you could see that the manager was trying to edge him out but he didn’t want to leave. He probably looked around the dressing room, saw how flaky the other players in his position were and decided that he’d eventually get some minutes.

“I think he’ll play a lot more football now because he’s made the manager realise it’s not all about superstars. Sometimes you need character, heart and personality to play at Old Trafford, and he has all of those. He might not be the greatest, but he’s certainly not the worst.

“As a manager, when you have a player like Maguire who wants to give everything for the cause and leave nothing on the pitch, you can deal with that. The problem is when people go hiding and they don’t want to leave the treatment room because they want to be at 110% for every game they play, but that is never going to happen. I think he will play a lot more now, and I think Erik ten Hag owes him an apology.

What did he say regarding Maguire’s inclusion in the England setup?

On Gareth Southgate’s repeated inclusions of Maguire, Sherwood said: “Everyone has been very critical of Gareth Southgate for picking Harry Maguire when he wasn’t playing for United. It’s only because Gareth came out and said he was picking players based on form and then he went against that in picking Maguire. He went against it because Maguire has never let him down and he has always performed in an England shirt.

“The fans appreciate and recognise that he wants to be back in action for United. You can always turn things around by showing heart and playing for the badge, and that is exactly what he has shown. All of a sudden, he can turn the fans around and if you do turn them around they’ll never forget that.”