Chris Sutton admits he's had to "hold his hands up" on Harry Maguire as the defender continues to star for England.
There were major question marks surrounding the centre-half heading into the World Cup. The Manchester United man has struggled for form since last summer's Euros and is no longer a regular with his club after being dislodged by Lisandro Martinez.
As a result minutes have been at a premium for Maguire and he made several errors in the last round of internationals before the World Cup. It left Gareth Southgate in a difficult spot with the defender, who has been integral to England's success, looking bereft of confidence.
Despite that he started in England's opener with Iran and has gone on to play in the remaining group games. He earned particular praise for his efforts in the draw with the USA and has been one of the most impressive performers as he continues to prove his doubters wrong.
Sutton admitted in the Daily Mail: "I've held my hands up, I've done something journalists don't do very often, I've said I was wrong on Harry Maguire. He's here, but in all seriousness, today is going to be a bigger test for Maguire. England will dominate the ball, but Senegal will counter and if England do have a weakness, which they did have coming into the tournament, I thought it was that centre-half position so Maguire will get his sternest test."
Prior to the tournament the former Blackburn and Celtic forward had been scathing towards Maguire, insisting that his lack of game time could not be overlooked. "Look, I like Maguire. But it comes down to the fact that he is not playing games," he claimed. "He didn’t have a great last season for Manchester United and this latest one isn’t much better. We can’t afford to ease people in at World Cups."
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Southgate has recently doubled down on the confidence he has in Maguire, citing a lack of consistent messaging as a reason for the defender's dip in form domestically.
“He’s a good player. He knows we believe in him completely.” said the England boss. “He had great performances. He’s had a bit of bad luck with managerial changes and philosophies (at club level) and an injury. He missed the time. But recently he felt the love of the fans.”
John Stones has been Maguire's centre-half partner throughout the tournament with Southgate opting for a central pair as opposed to the three-man backline he has deployed previously. England conceded twice in their opening game but have since kept clean sheets in successive games.
