Not winning Euros would be a failure for us, says Maguire

failed if they do not win Euro 2024. The Manchester United captain, who played the 90 minutes of Thursday’s 2-1 win over Italy in Naples that got the qualifying campaign off to a flying start, feels the team is in a good place and has an ideal blend of youth and experience.

Maguire made headlines at the World Cup in Qatar last December when he said before the quarter-final against France that there was a belief in the squad that they had to win the tournament. It was not so much an objective as an obligation. They lost that game 2-1, although Maguire saw nothing from France to suggest they were wildly superior.

The 30-year-old has now upped the ante in a bold mission statement. England face Ukraine at Wembley tomorrow in their next qualifier when they will seek to build on their first away win against Italy since 1961.

“I’m with a mindset of: ‘If we don’t win the tournament, it’s been a failure,’” Maguire said. “We’ve got to qualify first and it’s a tough group. But that’s my mindset. I believe that we have the players to win it.

“We played really well in the World Cup and we got knocked out to a good French team … they’ve proven over the years that they manage to get the job done better than England do.”

Gareth Southgate has stood by Maguire despite the defender’s welldocumented difficulties at United – terrible last season; out of the firstchoice lineup this time. Maguire has started only five Premier League games during the current campaign, two of which were back in August.

It has come to feel as though Maguire faces a neverending battle to justify himself and it was a prominent theme of his interview after the Italy game. “In my last nine starts for United, we have won,” he said. “I can’t remember losing a game for United [the last loss in a game he featured in was at home to Real Sociedad in the Europa League on 8 September].”

Maguire was asked whether he felt properly appreciated. “For England, yes, I do,” he said. “Last season was difficult for the club but I’ve proven myself to Gareth.”