Harry Maguire has expressed gratitude towards former England manager Gareth Southgate for aiding his resurgence at Manchester United. Maguire experienced a challenging period at United, with a prolonged bout of sub-par performances leading to ex-manager Erik ten Hag stripping him of the captaincy in 2023.
Despite losing his position at United and witnessing team-mate Bruno Fernandes assume the captain's role, Maguire continued to be an integral part of the England squad under Southgate's leadership. Southgate's unwavering faith in Maguire was instrumental in the defender regaining his form and place at United.
"I always believed, because I was always playing for my country in major tournaments," shared Maguire, who is set to start in Wednesday night's Europa League final in Bilbao.
"I went to the World Cup in Qatar and played a significant role in reaching a quarter-final, and performed exceptionally well. Really the belief that came from me, maybe at that time, was playing for my country.
"Credit to Gareth for showing his faith and trust in me during that period. I must say I felt like I was performing really well for my country, even amidst challenging times at this club.
"It's nice to be back playing. It's nice to be back helping the team. The most important thing is it's a big cup final, and one I'm looking forward to."