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Manchester United and England defender Harry Maguire has defended his club form, saying he has already proved himself at the highest level.
While Maguire continues to be one of the first-choice defenders for England head coach Gareth Southgate, he has fallen down the pecking order at Old Trafford under Erik ten Hag.
Despite his limited opportunities at club level, Maguire has consistently found a place in Southgate's plans. Ahead of the Three Lions' Euro qualifiers match-up against Ukraine, the centre-back said (via Daily Star):
"For England, yes, I do (feel appreciated). But listen, I've proven myself to Gareth, who works with a wide range of centre-backs.
"He has the choice of all the English centre-backs in the country and every time I'm available, I've been in the team. I'm sure if you ask the rest of the lads they know what I bring to the team. I'm 30 years old, but I shouldn't really need to prove myself at this level. I've won over 50 caps and I'm England's top-scoring defender."
He went on to defend his Manchester United spell as well, saying being the club captain brings with it a lot of scrutiny. He also pointed out that 'everybody else' at the club had a poor last season as well, as a result of which he should not be scapegoated.
"I've played nearly 200 times for Manchester United. I've captained the club for three years now, but I do also understand that when you are the captain of Manchester United you do come under the most amount of scrutiny. Last season at club level, my performances weren't good enough, alongside everybody else at club level, not just myself," he added.
Manchester United will next be in action against Newcastle United
Manchester United players got a well-deserved break after relentless football since the World Cup and will now be back in action against Newcastle United in the Premier League.
The all-important clash between the two top-four hopefuls will be hosted by the Magpies on Sunday, April 2. The Red Devils are comfortably placed in third spot in the league table with 50 points from 26 matches, while Newcastle are currently fifth 47 points from 26 games.
A win for Newcastle would see them leapfrog Manchester United in the league table as their goal difference is much better than the Red Devils'.
