Harry Maguire told he performs better for England than Manchester United because of Declan Rice

Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Ince called Harry Maguire a leader and said England offering him protection in the form of Declan Rice is why the defender performs better for the Three Lions.

Maguire was left out of England's starting line-up over the weekend in their 2-1 victory over Switzerland, but he started against Ivory Coast tonight, only for sections of the Wembley crowd to jeer his name and his first touches. The Reds' captain responded with a fine performance - his pass to Ollie Watkins helping to create Raheem Sterling's goal in a 3-0 victory.

Manager Gareth Southgate spoke about the difficulty the defender has had to endure at club level but noted that he's always been one of England's better performers especially in major tournaments where he has started in the 2018 World Cup semi-final and Euro 2020 final - England losing both games on penalties.

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United often shape up with Fred and Scott McTominay sitting in front of the defence but neither are specialist holding midfielders and the duo can often be found wanting against the better sides not only in Europe but in the Premier League. When representing his country, Maguire usually has Rice, Kalvin Phillips or Jordan Henderson screening in front of him which often limits how often the former Leicester City defender gets exposed.

Ince acknowledged that in one-on-one situations, Maguire struggles. But the ex-United star praised Maguire for not hiding from his responsibilities as a player and said that he was surprised the United captain was not chosen to lead his national team out at Wembley Stadium.

"Gareth Southgate has a lot of faith in him, a lot of trust