Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale has defended his England teammate Harry Maguire.
The centre-half scored an own goal as the Three Lions won 3-1 against Scotland on Tuesday night, and he was also repeatedly mocked by the home support. However, Ramsdale gave his backing to the Manchester United player, who is going through a difficult period:
“He’s one of the best defenders we’ve got. He’s so strong mentally and he’s got a great group of people around him and he knows his qualities.”
Maguire has struggled to get any minutes at club level this season, with manager Erik ten Hag preferring the likes of Lisandro Martinez, Raphael Varane and even Victor Lindelof.
It’s a different story with England, though, with head coach Gareth Southgate continuing to select him, despite his lack of game time in the Premier League.
Maguire may be good enough for England but not for United
Ramsdale’s claim that Maguire is “one of the best” centre-backs that England have is pretty telling. His selection suggests that there is a lack of depth in terms of English defenders.
United, on the other hand, have better alternatives in that position, although the club’s injury crisis means they may be forced into making some changes in upcoming games.
Maguire could be called into action this weekend
Despite the amount of criticism being levelled at the 30-year-old, he may well be selected in United’s starting eleven against Brighton on Saturday.
Lisandro Martinez has been carrying a foot injury since the Arsenal game and he did not feature in either of Argentina’s matches during the international break. Raphael Varane is also still on the treatment table, with the France international last seen in action versus Nottingham Forest last month.
