England National team manager Gareth Southgate has taken Harry Maguire off of England’s squad for next month’s Nations League matches after the player was found guilty of three charges by a Greek court.
The Manchester United captain was found guilty by the Greek court and given a 21-month suspended prison sentence for aggravated assault, resisting arrest, and repeated attempts of bribery.
Maguire was convicted of all the charges against him by a court on the Island of Syros. He was arrested with his brother and a friend after a fight broke out while he was on holiday in Mykonos over claims his sister was injected with a suspected “rape drug”. Manchester United said that the player would be appealing against the sentence.
The England manager had earlier included Harry Maguire in his squad selection for next month’s Nations League games against Iceland and Denmark prior to the verdict on Maguire’s injunction but had to exclude the defender afterwards.
“In light of this evening’s developments, I can confirm I have withdrawn Harry Maguire from the England squad for the matches against Iceland and Denmark,” Southgate said in a statement.
“As I said earlier today, I reserved the right to review the situation. Having spoken to Manchester United and the player, I have made this decision in the best interests of all parties and with consideration of the impact on our preparations for next week.”
Full England squad
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson, Jordan Pickford, Nick Pope
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold, Eric Dier, Joe Gomez, Michael Keane, Tyrone Mings, Kieran Trippier, Kyle Walker
Midfielders: Phil Foden, Mason Mount, Kalvin Phillips, Declan Rice, James Ward-Prowse, Harry Winks
Forwards: Tammy Abraham, Mason Greenwood, Danny Ings, Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho, Raheem Sterling
Foden, Greenwood, and Phillips get first call-ups
Young English players who performed brilliantly well during the course of last season such as Manchester City’s midfielder Phil Foden, Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood, and Leeds Kalvin Phillips got a call up to the national team for the first time despite Maguire’s initial inclusion making the top headline of Southgate’s selection.
Liverpool midfielders Jordan Henderson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, as well as Chelsea’s Ross Barkley, all miss out due to injuries.
England, however, has issues on the left-back position with Ben Chilwell – who is set to join Chelsea – still struggling with a heel problem and Luke Shaw who also has fitness concerns not making the squad.
It means England go into next month’s fixtures without any player to fill the left-back position in their squad after Southgate opted against including Danny Rose.
Danny Ings also got the first call up to the Senior National side since he made his debut in 2015 while defender John Stones was left out yet again.
Raheem Sterling also made Southgate’s selection having tested negative for coronavirus. The winger attended a party with Usain Bolt – who has reportedly tested positive – in Jamaica on Friday.
Sterling’s City team-mate Kyle Walker is also included for the first time since the Nations League finals last summer but Callum Hudson-Odoi, Fikayo Tomori, Callum Wilson, and Fabian Delph – who were all in England’s last squad in November – also miss out.
England will travel to face Iceland on September 5 and then Denmark three days later as they begin their Nations League campaign.
They will be the side’s first fixtures since the wins over Montenegro and Kosovo in November last year, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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