‘It always seems to be him’: Jermain Defoe admits Harry Maguire is making too many ‘avoidable’ mistakes… after the England defender endured another torrid night in which he conceded a penalty against Germany at Wembley
- Harry Maguire has been struggling for form at club level in recent months
- Despite this, Gareth Southgate has continued to support him for England.
- Maguire started against Germany on Monday but had another poor game
- He conceded a penalty and lost the ball in the lead up to Germany’s goal
- Jermain Defoe thinks Maguire is making too many mistakes at the moment
By Sam Brookes for Mailonline
Published: | Updated:
Jermain Defoe has admitted that Harry Maguire is making too many mistakes at the moment after the centre-back had another torrid night during England’s 3-3 draw against Germany on Monday.
The Manchester United captain has struggled in form in recent months and was dropped by Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford, but Gareth Southgate has continued to support Maguire internationally.
The 29-year-old didn’t repay that faith at Wembley, though, as he took a penalty for Germany’s first goal when he tripped Jamal Musiala, then was dispossessed in the build-up to his second goal. Defoe couldn’t defend Maguire’s mistakes when he assessed the goals afterwards.
Harry Maguire was at least partially to blame for two of Germany’s goals on Monday night
Gareth Southgate has continued to support Maguire, but he had a lot of problems at Wembley
“You look at the goals and they were avoidable,” Defoe told Channel 4.
‘Silly mistakes, you give the ball and then you give a penalty. Individual mistakes, and for some reason, it always seems to be him.
Maguire’s inclusion in Southgate’s starting XI for England’s games against Italy and Germany over the last three days has been one of the main talking points of the international break.
The defender’s name was booed when it was read before kickoff on Monday, with some fans clearly feeling he shouldn’t be on the team based on his current level of performance.
He was also booed during the match, especially when things started to go wrong for England at the back in the second half.
Jermain Defoe thinks Harry Maguire is making too many ‘avoidable’ mistakes right now
Defoe is aware of the criticism Maguire has faced and encourages him to get back to his best.
He has asked Maguire to try to play more freely so he can return to the form that saw him shine at the 2018 World Cup and last year’s European Championship, when he was named in the Team of the Tournament.
“It’s funny because, as I said at the top of the show, there’s been a lot of negativity around him and you want him to play well because he’s done well in tournaments in England,” Defoe added.
We’ve seen him in tournaments, he’s done well to be honest. You just want me to take off the parking brake and just play.
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