LONDON – England defender Harry Maguire said the Three Lions have the players who can produce in the big moments and that the squad are ready to win the European Championship in Germany.
England, who have not lifted a major trophy since winning the 1966 World Cup, reached the final of Euro 2020, where they lost to Italy on penalties.
“As a group, we’re ready to win (the Euros),” Maguire, 31, said ahead of the Brazil friendly on March 23.
“If you are to win the Euros, you are probably going to have to win a penalty shoot-out. Tournament football is built on big moments. The quarter-final against France at the 2022 World Cup could have gone either way, but it went to them.
“But we have the players to produce the big moments. We have to be mentally prepared so that in this tournament, we make these moments ours.”
Maguire, who received heavy criticism for his poor performances in 2023, also said that playing for England as a Manchester United player brought added scrutiny.
“I think that different clubs have different scrutiny on players and that has a big aspect on fans when they see (manager Gareth Southgate) picking a squad,” he added.
“Every player who’s played for United and the country has come to a time when they’ve played for the country and people haven’t been happy. It’s part and parcel of football and playing for such a historic club. I wouldn’t change it for the world.”
England are in Group C with Slovenia, Denmark and Serbia at Euro 2024, which begins on June 14.
Southgate, meanwhile, has been linked this week to replace United boss Erik ten Hag after the European Championship, but Maguire believes that he should stay on as England boss.
The 53-year-old’s contract expires at the end of 2024 and he is yet to agree a new deal.
“Yes, definitely. I don’t know what’s going to happen after the Euros. I don’t know if he knows what’s going to happen,” Maguire said when asked if he wanted to see Southgate prolong his England stint.
“But what he’s done from when he took over this job to where we are at now, we’ve taken huge strides and he’s a massive part of that.”
Under Southgate, England reached the 2018 World Cup semi-finals, lost the Euro 2020 final and were beaten by France in the World Cup quarter-finals in 2022. REUTERS, AFP
