Harry Maguire has been one of England’s stand-out performers as the Three Lions have cruised to the semi-final of the 2018 World Cup, writes Mirror Football’s Jake Polden. The Leicester City centre-back has been both calm and assertive in defence, and also opened the scoring for England in their quarter-final win over Sweden. Jacob Harry Maguire is an English professional footballer who plays as a defender for Premier League club Leicester City and the English national team.
Maguire’s stock has risen considerable since the start of the tournament, when many expected him to be benched for the tried and tested Gary Cahill. As a result, top teams in Europe are looking at the possibility of signing him ahead of the new season; Phil Thompson recently urged his beloved Liverpool to cough up some cash to land him.
According to Arsenal favourite Martin Keown however, Maguire could already be on the books of a top team, if only Arsene Wenger had taken his advice. The legendary Gunners boss once sent Keown on a scouting mission to check the defender out, which he did. But the north London club were worried about the centre-back’s mobility, and ultimately decided against signing him.
Keown said: “Somebody asked me to take a look at him and I thought he was a decent player. They thought he was a big player, but was he going to be mobile enough? I think he’s gone on to prove all the qualities he needs to be a top player.”