Harry Maguire withdrawn from England squad after trial

Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has been withdrawn from the England squad by manager Gareth Southgate after being given a suspended prison sentence on the Greek island of Syros.

Defender Maguire, 27, was named in Southgate’s latest squad earlier on Tuesday, while his trial was ongoing.

He was found guilty of aggravated assault, resisting arrest and repeated attempts of bribery.

Southgate said withdrawing Maguire was “in the best interests of all parties”.

Maguire was given a jail sentence of 21 months and 10 days, which is suspended for three years, after an altercation on Mykonos.

He said after the verdict he had instructed his legal team “with immediate effect to inform the courts we will be appealing”.

“I remain strong and confident regarding our innocence in this matter – if anything myself, family and friends are the victims,” he added.

Speaking when he named his squad for Nations League games against Iceland and Denmark next month, Southgate said he had spoken to Maguire and had “no reason to doubt what he’s telling me”.

“Harry regrets the fact he has brought that sort of focus and attention to the team – he apologised for that – but also has his own side of the story,” he said.

“In these instances, I think you can only make decisions on facts that you’re aware of. Clearly if facts change further down the line or information changes, then I have to review that decision.”

Withdrawing Maguire from the squad five hours later, he said: “As I said earlier today, I reserved the right to review the situation.

“Having spoken to Manchester United and the player, I have made this decision in the best interests of all parties and with consideration of the impact on our preparations for next week.”

Source: BBC Sports