Harry Maguire, after England's friendly win over Scotland in which he scored an own goal, spoke to the British press and said he is able to handle the amount of criticism levelled against him. Although he has yet to start for Manchester United this season, he believes he will have the opportunities to do so.
Harry Maguire has been in a gradual decline for years since joining Manchester United from Leicester City. This season he is no longer captain of Manchester United, Erik ten Hag has handed his armband to Bruno Fernandes. The manager only gave him a few minutes of playing time in the Premier League match against Arsenal, which ended in a 3-1 victory for the Gunners.
However, Gareth Southgate called him up to the England squad and in the last friendly against Scotland, he scored an own goal. The mistake put him back at the centre of criticism from thousands of fans, but he believes he can handle it. The British defender spoke to the British media on Reuters after the match and expressed his thoughts.
"The first four weeks were hard because it was one game a week and the manager didn't select me, but we have lots of games coming up now and I am sure I will play lots of games. I know that, at the moment, as I haven't been a starter yet, there is a lot of talk about me. I want to play games, I want to play football," said the former Leicester defender. He also gave details of his failed move to West Ham United.
"How do I explain it? We didn't come to an agreement. They were happy for me to stay and I was happy to stay and fight for a place. I want to get it and, every time I train or play, I give it my all. I wouldn't say I'm a person who has a hard time mentally with this pressure. I've been through a lot in the last couple of years and I've been captain of United for about four years," the centre-back continued.
"It's a lot of responsibility and everything that comes with it also has negative aspects. Here at Hampden Park - referring to the Scottish fans - I've been put under a lot of pressure. I wouldn't say I'm used to it, but I can handle it. I'm disappointed with the own goal, but that's football. As a central defender, you put yourself in that situation. I'm really pleased with how I performed in the second half and how I coped," concluded the 30-year-old England international.