Harry Maguire believes it would be a “failure” if England don’t win Euros

A bold claim from the defender

England and Manchester United centre half Harry Maguire has claimed that it would be a "failure" if Gareth Southgate's England side did not go on to win Euro 2024.

The 30-year-old defender made the daring statement in the aftermath of England's opening Euro 2024 qualifying fixture, in which they defeated familiar foes Italy 2-1 in Naples.

Much-maligned by pundits and fans alike since signing for the Red Devils for a then-record-fee of £80 million from Leicester City in 2019, Maguire delivered another uninspiring display in Naples.

Looking like the odd man out in an England squad boasting some of the game's finest young talent in the likes of Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden, the centre half cost England a clean sheet by making an error in the lead up Mateo Retegui's second half goal.

Despite the plethora of options available to head coach Gareth Southgate, Maguire has managed to remain an almost ever-present fixture of his England back line, starting 14 of the Three Lions' last 16 fixtures.

Speaking after the victory, the Manchester United captain stated "I think for me, at my age as well, 30 years old now and I'm with a mindset of, if we don't win the tournament, it's been a failure".

Maguire didn't stop there though, with the centre half going on to defend his lack of playing time under new United boss Erik ten Haag, maintaining that he is still a crucial player for both club and country.

"I can't remember losing a game for Manchester United, it must be the third week of the season. So my influence is still there. But of course I love playing for my country and in 50-odd caps I feel like I've never let my country down", said Maguire.

Having lost the 2020 European Championship final on home soil to Roberto Mancini's Italian side, this Harry Kane-led England team produced an excellent performance against their main group rivals to kick off their qualification campaign.

In scoring his side's second goal of the game through a penalty on the stroke of half time, the Tottenham Hotspur striker became England's all-time leading goalscorer on 54 goals, pulling clear of Wayne Rooney's previous record.

England will now set their sights for this evening, when they will play host to Oleksandr Zinchenko's spirited Ukraine side at Wembley Stadium.

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