Manchester United centre-back Harry Maguire suffered a suspected hamstring injury in England's 3-3 UEFA Nations League draw at home to Germany on Monday.
Maguire endured another difficult night for the Three Lions as he made two mistakes which led to Germany taking a two-goal lead at Wembley Stadium midway through the second half.
England managed to turn the game on its head in dramatic fashion with three strikes within the space of 12 minutes from Luke Shaw, Mason Mount and Harry Kane, but Kai Havertz netted an 87th-minute equaliser – his second goal of the match – to rescue a point for the Germans.
Towards the end of the game, Maguire was seen to be limping in discomfort but he managed to see out the match, with teammate and England captain Kane praising the defender for his 'character'.
"H [Maguire] had a pretty decent injury there at the end, where he played another five, 10 minutes, on almost one leg. Great character from him, I'm really proud of him for that," Kane told reporters after the match.
Maguire completed the full 90 minutes in both of England's final two Nations League matches, including the 1-0 defeat against Italy last Friday, but the centre-back's position in the squad has been questioned by many.
Despite the criticism received for his performances, England manager Gareth Southgate vows to stick with the defender, along with left-back Shaw, even though the pair have lost their places in the starting lineup under Erik ten Hag at Man United.
"That's always going to be a challenge, especially regarding how much football they've had," Southgate told reporters after the match via Sky Sports News.
"I know everyone will focus on Harry, but there were some very important moments Harry delivered during the two matches.
"Luke was another example of someone who is an outstanding footballer, so what do we do? Not pick Luke Shaw because he's not playing enough football or do we pick a player who can do what you saw tonight?
"That's always going to raise debate, but I think in these moments we've got to back our best and our most experienced players, unless we're in a situation where it's almost untenable and impossible to pick them."
It remains to be seen whether Maguire will be fit to feature in Man United's matchday squad for Sunday's Manchester derby away against rivals Manchester City.
Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez are seemingly expected to retain their places at centre-back, although Victor Lindelof is also an option at Ten Hag's disposal.
Maguire was not the only England player to sustain an injury on Monday, as fellow defender John Stones was forced off in the 37th minute with a hamstring problem, and the Man City man is doubtful for the derby clash against United.
Speaking after the match about both Stones and Maguire, Southgate said: "John Stones is feeling something with his hamstring and I think Harry is feeling something a little bit as well."
England ended their Nations League campaign bottom of League A Group 3 without a victory from their six fixtures, and they have been relegated to the second tier as a result. body check tags ::
