Harry Maguire admits he is still concerned about the injury that almost ended his Euro 2020 finals before they began.
The Manchester United centre-back was seen as a major doubt for the Three Lions after picking up an ankle problem in the closing weeks of the Red Devils' campaign, forcing him to miss the Europa League final against Villarreal.
There were plenty of calls for Gareth Southgate to leave Maguire out of the squad if he couldn't prove his fitness in time for the first game, but the England boss showed his faith in the former Leicester City man as he has gradually returned to action.
Maguire missed England's opening two matches against Croatia and Scotland, but has been a fixture in the side ever since the final group stage game against the Czech Republic.
The centre-back also scored in the quarter-final victory over Ukraine, but he says he is still trouble by that ankle issue.
When asked how he he felt prior to the tournament, Maguire told The Times : "The fear that I had was missing everything.
"I would jump out of bed and put weight on my ankle — which I shouldn’t have done — to test if this pain was still there.
"It was the twist that caused it, some sort of ligament damage. The pain is still there."
Despite the pain he is feeling Maguire's displays have been well-received this summer, with former England midfielder Adam Lallana recently saying he is playing as well as he has ever seen him.
When told of Lallana's comments, Maguire told the official England podcast : “It is close to it.
“I am in a good place, obviously coming back off a seven-week injury to hit the heights and form that I have done, I am really proud of how I have handled the situation and it shows all the hard work I put in during those seven weeks has paid off.
“I feel like I am learning and improving and I can still get better, but the main thing is the team and winning football matches and keeping clean sheets and that is the focus.
“I think a lot of people spoke about previous players and how it affected them and said ‘He won’t be able to do this’, and ‘He won’t be able to get his rhythm’.
“You hear so much negativity over injuries, I just had to remain focused and clear-minded on what I wanted to do and I have great belief and confidence in my ability to be able to step in.
"You are not just stepping into a friendly game you are stepping into the biggest stage possible."
