Despite being dropped at club level this season, Gareth Southgate showed a huge amount of faith in Harry Maguire heading into this World Cup. Many felt that his lack of football in recent months meant that starting him in Qatar would be a major risk, but he has started all three games up to this point.
England's form has been somewhat mixed in the tournament, although the Manchester United has yet to let them down. While there will certainly be bigger tests ahead, he has repaid his manager's faith in him up to this point.
Maguire has become a subject of ridicule over the last year or so, regularly being targeted by opposition supporters when on club duty. Many of those same fans are now cheering him on in an England shirt.
Patrice Evra calls out England fans over Harry Maguire treatment
Patrice Evra has been one of Harry Maguire's more vocal supporters in the media and he believes that many England fans owe the defender an apology.
Speaking to Betfair, the Frenchman said that he feels Erik ten Hag could learn from Southgate when it comes to getting the best out of the 29-year old.
Harry Maguire has never disappointed in this England team. He never lets England down, so that's why he plays. So those fans who didn't want him to play must feel ashamed of themselves now. United fans can have a say about Maguire, but England fans can’t have a say about Maguire...
I'm so pleased with Maguire's upturn in form because at one point, he started to get bullied. It wasn't fair. Even when he was playing a good game for Man United, people would say he had a bad game and when he wasn't playing, if we conceded a goal it was because Maguire was in the stands smiling. Like, come on.
With what's happening at Man United, people tried to apply the same pressure on him with England and it didn't work. I see many players who perform well for the club and they don't perform well for their country. But some players perform well for their country and they don't perform for their club...
Southgate has given Maguire credit and confidence and maybe with Erik ten Hag, Maguire doesn't have the same confidence he had with the previous manager. Maybe his confidence is a little bit low. Southgate, the way he's protected him, Maguire should be saying 'thanks' to Southgate.
Many managers would sometimes listen to the papers, listen to pundits and drop Maguire because he wasn't playing well for Man United. That would have been easy for Southgate, but he knows Maguire is a key player in the defence for England. That's why he can't drop him.
England will face Senegal tomorrow in the last 16, a game they will enter as favourites. Should they overcome that challenge, they will need Harry Maguire to be on top form for a likely meeting with France in the quarter-finals.
That would certainly be a stern test of his current form.
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