Euro 2020: Maguire to feature against Scotland, says Southgate

Southgate said all 26 members of his squad had trained ahead of the Group D game.

Published : Jun 18, 2021 11:58 IST

Maguire has not played since picking up an ankle injury on May 9 for Manchester United.

Central defender Harry Maguire is available and will play a part in England's Euro 2020 clash with old rivals Scotland at Wembley on Friday, manager Gareth Southgate said.

"Harry will be involved tomorrow," he told a news conference on Thursday. "The decision we've got to make is whether he is ready to start, but we're really pleased with his progress."

Southgate was positive about the Yorkshireman's return to fitness.

"He's trained with the team for four or five days now and had no reaction. Of course each session he's involved with he gets more confident. I think he's on a really good path," he said.

Maguire has not played since picking up an ankle injury on May 9 for Manchester United, meaning he missed his club's Europa League final defeat to Villarreal.

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In his absence, Tyrone Mings partnered John Stones in central defence for Sunday's 1-0 opening win against Croatia.

His return would boost England but could also be viewed as a risky decision given his lack of match time.

Southgate said all 26 members of his squad had trained ahead of the Group D game.

Objective is to qualify, not focussed on Scotland rivalry

Victory for England would secure its place in the knockout stage and Southgate said that has to be what his time concentrate on - rather than their rivalry with Scotland.

"Our focus has got to be on performances getting better with every game we play," he said.

"For the fans and us it is a big occasion but it is another opportunity for three points and our objective is qualification. That is what we have got to focus on."

Scotland have also had good news on the injury front, with manager Steve Clarke saying on Thursday that defender Kieran Tierney, who missed the 2-0 loss to the Czech Republic, will be available.