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HARRY
MAGUIRE HARRY MAGUIRE has endured the kind of year which is one of the pitfalls of being a top footballer.
Struggles with form, scrutiny over a large price tag and off-field problems following a summer holiday left the Manchester United defender a sitting target for criticism. Matters finally came to a head last October when the centre-back was sent-off for two poor challenges in the first half of England’s Nations League clash with Denmark. It was at that point when the crescendo of criticism reached boiling point, with demands from pundits, fans and the media for him to be taken out of the firing line to spare him more anguish. They say it is in moments of crisis that you find out who your real friends are, and for Maguire that meant receiving total trust and backing of his managers for club and country.
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Both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Gareth Southgate refused to buckle and stood squarely behind the 28-year-old when he needed them most – backing Maguire admits was important to him. The United star said: “Obviously getting the red card against Denmark was disappointing for myself.
“The support that I’ve got from friends, family, and obviously Gareth and Ole at Manchester United, the faith that they’ve shown in me and the trust that they’ve shown in me to keep picking me, keep playing me. “When I’m available, I’ve always been selected in the England squad, so that gives me great confidence and I feel the trust with that. “I think a big thing when you are going through downs, you know that you’ll always come out if you keep strong and keep fighting and keep working hard.”
