Ferdinand delivers damning verdict on Maguire’s role in the England squad

Rio Ferdinand has claimed Harry Maguire is not playing well enough to be a starter in the current England team.

The Man Utd captain is deemed an almost sure-fire selection for Three Lions' boss Gareth Southgate when the European Championships kick-off this summer.

Maguire has featured heavily for his country in recent years, with the questions more around who will partner him in defence, rather than whether he will be involved.

But Ferdinand – who was capped 81 times by England at senior level – feels there are better options available.

"On form Michael Keane all day. There wouldn’t be a person in the country who is watching Premier League games week-in-week-out who would tell you Maguire is more consistent than Michael Keane at the moment. Not a chance," Ferdinand told the FIVE YouTube channel .

"Michael Keane has been playing at Everton consistently as the centre-back there, so right now I’d say Michael Keane and John Stones. Who else is going to be there? Who else can you pick?

"Stones has just come back to form, so he’s in contention again, and he’s got the experience above others, which is a plus for him. So I think at the moment it is really who plays with Stones.

Get the latest Man Utd news straight into your inbox!

Manchester United are looking to plot their path back to the top.

And you can keep track of their journey by signing up for the brilliant new Mirror Football newsletter!

With their title Premier League title challenge in full flow, it remains to be seen if United can knock their rivals off their perch.

From the latest news to the agenda-setting stories, get it all in your email inbox.

Signing up is simple. Put your email at the top of this article or follow the instructions on this link.

"And in terms of form, Maguire seems not be in great form at the moment. So if you’re looking for another, Michael Keane I would say is the next in line for me. If you’re going on form, you don’t pick [Maguire]."

As Ferdinand suggests, Man City star Stones is the most likely candidate to earn a place in England's back line, given Liverpool's Joe Gomez is pretty much ruled out of Euro 2020 with injury.

What should England's starting XI be at Euro 2020? Have your say below.

Maguire's position in the team may well be saved though by Southgate's apparent insistence on playing with a back three.

“We feel it suits the personnel that we’ve got very strongly and we think it also gives us strength in depth if we have problems losing players,” Southgate said in October.

Wolves ' captain Conor Coady, Tottenham's Eric Dier, Aston Villa's Tyrone Mings, and Stones' City teammate Kyle Walker are also in contention.

Source: Read Full Article