Many have seen Maguire improving over the years and turning to be a solid leader at the back. England manager Gareth Southgate feels that Maguire has improved as a leader after he was handed the captain’s armband at Manchester United.
As reported by the Manchester Evening News, Gareth Southgate thinks Maguire has improved as a defender and he accepts that comes from the motivation of taking over as United captain.
Southgate said: “We’ve noted over the last 12 months but certainly the last six months how when you become the captain of Manchester United the impact that must have on your confidence, and the improvement in his leadership and his desire to step forward and have an influence on the wider group shines through. We’ve got some really important characters in that dressing room that are doing that – not just Kane and Henderson who are the obvious ones but Maguire and you’ve got Conor Coady, captain of his club, and Kieran Trippier a really good leader. The dressing room doesn’t need as much voice from the coaches before a game as perhaps it did a couple of years ago. You can hear all of those players getting around each other and there are several others who add to that. That’s a healthy environment. It’s a good sign for the team now and moving forward.”
Maguire, 28, was given the armband during his first season at the club and has been captain under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer from that point forward.
We missed him towards the end of the season because of a lower leg injury, which kept him out of the crucial Europa League final against Villarreal.
Southgate brought Maguire straight back onto the firing line facing the Czech Republic and he showed that the Three Lions are better defensively when he’s free.
The England manager has been taking good care of Maguire and making sure he is perfectly fit to play. The player himself will receive huge praise for his great determination and eagerness to play.
