Manchester United and England defender Harry Maguire snubbed several top players when he named his all-time England XI.
Maguire, 32, boasts 64 England caps and has featured at three major international tournaments, having been included in squads for UEFA Euro 2020, and the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups.
And he named several of his teammates in his all-time England XI, but there was no place for icons such as Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Paul Scholes.
So, who did Maguire select in his all-time Three Lions XI?
In goal, he went for Peter Shilton, who was capped 125 times by England, and described him as “an excellent goalkeeper” when speaking to England Football in May 2024.
Moving into the defence, the Sheffield-born defender opted for a centre-back trident made up of 1966 World Cup winner Bobby Moore, former Chelsea and England captain John Terry, and Manchester City’s John Stones.
On Terry, Maguire said: “John Terry was a player I watched a lot of when I was young, that was the era I was properly into it. He always stood out for me. I took a lot of his game and tried to model it for myself.”
He also described Moore as a “real standout”.
Next came a midfield five with former England skipper David Beckham on the right flank.
Maguire justified his choice by saying: “I definitely want Beckham, another big icon. There are so many moments when I think about my childhood watching England and watching football. He was the one you wanted to be. I remember his free-kick against Greece as a particular highlight.”
Harry Maguire gave his thoughts (Credit:Getty)
Meanwhile, his choice on the left may come as a surprise as he went for Raheem Sterling.
Maguire described how Sterling “will have an impact in the key moments and he’s done that for us often”.
Maguire went for a midfield trio of Michael Carrick, Jude Bellingham and Paul Gascoigne meaning Scholes, Lampard, and Gerrard missed out.
On Carrick, Maguire said: “I worked with Michael Carrick at Manchester United and I know how knowledgeable he is and how clever he is. I don’t think he got as many opportunities for England as he would have liked, but he’s the one who I’d really like to play with. He protected the defence really well and he took the ball really well.”
And finally, the United centre-back selected England’s two highest-ever goal scorers, Harry Kane and Wayne Rooney, as his forwards and said Kane would captain the side.
Maguire claimed: “If you put them in the same team, you’re guaranteed goals. Wayne was a world-class player and one of the greatest ever English players. He’s probably still a bit underrated in my eyes. I speak to him quite a bit about the game as well, and he’s really knowledgeable.”
