"There's been a lot of noise but he's ignored it and tried to better himself. He's hit the ground running in this tournament and deserves credit." England defender John Stones salutes Harry Maguire's World Cup performances and explains Gareth Southgate's hardest job is picking a team
Friday 2 December 2022 15:11, UK
John Stones says Harry Maguire deserves huge credit for a host of "terrific" performances for England at the World Cup.
Maguire's very involvement for England in Qatar came under scrutiny after making just nine appearances for Manchester United in an indifferent start to the 2022/23 season.
But Gareth Southgate's faith in the centre-back has been rewarded, with Maguire one of the standout performers during the group stages, in which England claimed clean sheets against USA and Wales to secure top spot in Group B.
Speaking ahead of Sunday's last-16 tie with African champions Senegal, Stones hailed Maguire's performances and leadership in the England camp.
"Right from the first game, it was the best response to what he's been going through," Stones said. "All three games he's played he's been terrific. It's about us finding that partnership again, whoever we play alongside, and now it's time for us to keep building.
"Playing so many England games with someone, going through many moments with him, knowing what he's been going through at his club, knowing the person he is, to come through that and still believe in himself speak volumes of him.
"There has been a lot of noise from the outside, but he's ignored it and tried to improve and better himself. He's come into this tournament and hit the ground running; he deserves great credit."
Stones continued: "Harry is a leader. He's a huge character in the group, you see it around the hotel with how many people he mingles with and talks to.
"That then transforms onto the pitch. He's wanted to improve throughout all of his England career and that starts on the training ground and in the team hotel."
England's success in Qatar has been built on Stones and Maguire re-establishing their partnership at the heart of the defence after a tumultuous summer which saw the Three Lions relegated in the Nations League after failing to win any of their six pre-World Cup matches.
Asked to assess England's defensive performances in Qatar, Stones added: "I think we've played great. I spoke before tournament about why that was getting brought up a bit, and rightly so after the summer we had.
"I'm extremely proud of how we've dealt with the group coming off those games where we conceded goals and lost games as a team and a defensive unit. We've come through these two games keeping two clean sheets and I'm extremely proud."
Stones and Maguire are likely to retain their places when England take to the field against Senegal but Southgate faces a number of selection dilemmas after Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden impressed in Tuesday's victory over Wales. It's a task Stones doesn't envy.
"The hardest part of being a manager is picking that starting XI," Stones said. "There are 11 happy players and the rest that don't play aren't happy.
"We've got an incredible group here and those that come on from the bench have made big impacts. Those players not in the team or coming off the bench have been extremely selfless, they put the team before themselves and sacrifice themselves for the team."
