Harry Maguire was immediately sent for a scan after being withdrawn during England’s defeat by Brazil in another major injury blow to Manchester United. Although the extent of the problem is unclear, it is serious enough to rule Maguire out of the Three Lions’ friendly against Belgium on Tuesday.
Maguire was one of a couple of England players to suffer concerning injuries during the Brazil clash. Kyle Walker also hobbled off in the first half after leading out his side as captain.
The 31-year-old was initially replaced by Brighton defender Lewis Dunk as a precaution. However, the Daily Mail report that he subsequently had a scan on the issue on Sunday and will now miss the visit of Belgium to Wembley Stadium.
United boss Erik ten Hag faces an anxious wait to find out if Maguire will be fit for the Red Devils’ first game after the international break, a visit to Brentford next Saturday. Ten Hag’s side have struggled with a spate of injuries all season, with an absentee crisis especially affecting the Dutchman’s defensive options.
Centre-back Lisandro Martinez is expected to miss another few weeks with a knee injury, having previously spent large parts of the campaign on the sidelines. Jonny Evans and Tyrell Malacia are also injured, while there are concerns over Luke Shaw’s availability for the remainder of the season due to a thigh issue.
Maguire has only recently forced his way back into Ten Hag’s plans after being deemed out of favour at the start of the season. He was stripped of the club captaincy and nearly joined West Ham before a resurgence in form.
Injuries to Martinez and the loss of form of Raphael Varane have seen Maguire win back his place at the heart of United’s defence. The former Leicester star has started all but one of United’s Premier League games for which he has been available since October 7.
Southgate has already ruled captain Harry Kane out of the match against Belgium and has bemoaned England’s injury crisis. The Three Lions manager claims a third of a 40-man list of players who could be called upon for international duty are unavailable.
“Everyone wants simple solutions to complex problems,” he said. “Some players have just been unfortunate. Kane’s injury was when he crashed into the net at the weekend and it’s forced the mechanism with his ankle. He’s had a winter break and he’s not playing in our league.
“Some players have had runs of injuries, some have perhaps played too many games too quickly after coming back from injuries. The intensity of the games could be an aspect. Additional minutes in the games could be an aspect. What’s clear is we’ve got a long list of 40-odd players and a third are unavailable for tomorrow’s game, which is the highest we’ve ever had.”
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