What Harry Maguire told Gareth Southgate revealed as He waited for the coach in Wembley tunnel for two hours

Harry Maguire remained at Wembley Stadium for nearly two hours after England’s 0-0 draw with Germany on Monday night to speak privately with manager Gareth Southgate.

The Manchester United defender was responsible for two of the three goals surrendered by the home team, including Germany’s first penalty, which was awarded after Maguire lost control before chopping down Jamal Musiala with a poor challenge.

It was another trying evening for Maguire, whose place in the England squad was under greater scrutiny than ever before before the game after he lost his starting spot at Manchester United. The obvious confidence issue of the central defense continued with a poor performance.

England’s final Nations League match before the World Cup roster is announced later this year. Maguire stayed behind at Wembley long after his teammates had left, waiting for Southgate to finish his post-match media obligations before the pair spoke.

Despite being booed by a tiny section of the Wembley fans, Maguire is set to be included in Southgate’s World Cup team. Starting positions in central defense are still up for grabs, with John Stones, Eric Dier, Marc Guehi, Fikayo Tomori, and Conor Coady among those vying for them.

This is one of the most difficult periods of Maguire’s career, as his performances for both club and country continue to be scrutinized, along with his position as club captain at United and in England’s squad. Southgate’s backing will almost certainly be critical for him.

When asked why he chose to remain with his trusted players, Southgate explained: “That’s always going to be a struggle, especially given how much football they’ve had, and I know everyone will be focusing on Harry, but he provided some crucial moments during the two matches.

“Luke is another example of a fantastic footballer, so what should we do? Not pick Luke Shaw because he doesn’t get enough playing time, or do we pick a player who can do what you saw tonight?

“That’s always going to spark controversy, but I think in these situations, we’ve got to back our best and most experienced players, unless we’re in a scenario where picking them is almost untenable and impossible.”

United manager Erik ten Hag has omitted Maguire from four consecutive Premier League starting lineups, with Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez forming a powerful central defensive pairing. United has only conceded two goals in five games when that combination has started together.

Former Leicester defender Maguire is no longer a regular starter for United; following their four-goal thrashing at Brentford last month, the only time he was picked was for the Europa League loss at home to Real Sociedad.

‘He had a pretty bad injury there at the end, where he played further five, ten minutes on nearly one leg,’ Three Lions captain Harry Kane remarked after the game. I’m quite proud of him for having such a strong personality.

“Any individual mistake, you’ll be gutted, but we’re a team, and we’ll rally around each other. They’ll learn from it, and they’ll go on. They’ve been wonderful for us every time they put the shirt on.”