Gareth Southgate insists Manchester United's Harry Maguire can still compete at 'highest level'

Gareth Southgate has labelled Harry Maguire an England 'cult hero' and reiterated his belief that the defender can perform for his country despite his struggles at Manchester United.

It's been a hard season for Maguire who has repeatedly come under fire for some poor performances and costly mistakes. The latest example coming in United's last match before the international break in the Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid, in which the captain's name was sarcastically cheered by some of the Old Trafford crowd when he was substituted.

Some eyebrows were raised when Maguire remained in the England squad considering his poor run of form but Southgate has once again backed the centre-back, pointing out how important he has been for the Three Lions in recent tournaments. “I think my experience of Harry Maguire with England has been our fans singing their song about him drinking whatever,” he told talkSPORT.

ALSO READ: Manchester United are learning new things about their dressing room

“He’s been a cult hero for England and he’s been a critical part of us getting to a World Cup semi-final and the European Championship final in a tournament in which he was one of the players of the tournament and named in the Team of the Tournament.

“So, of course, one of the difficulties of playing for England is you’ve got club rivalry and it’s tribal and people will jump on things. I recognise that at his own club, he’s perhaps not feeling that full support of the fans at the moment.

“But I never think that is going to help a player perform at his very best, so we’ve got a player here who has been exceptional for England and has almost, with John [Stones], changed the type of football we’ve been able to play from the back over a period