49erssports.com - Manchester United legend, Rio Ferdinand, assesses the England national team is in a worrying condition ahead of the 2022 World Cup. According to him, Gareth Southgate will have a nightmare if he relies on the figure of Harry Maguire at the heart of defense during his match in Qatar.
According to the Mirror, Ferdinand revealed that Southgate should not have called the former Leicester City man to the World Cup. Given, so far Maguire rarely get the opportunity to play with Man United.
However, Southgate actually included Maguire in the 26 England squad that will compete in Qatar later. The 52-year-old coach still believes in the ability and experience of the defender in coordinating the Three Lions back line.
Ferdinand described Southgate's trust in Maguire as "blind trust", however, the 44-year-old believes that trust will boomerang on England's future in Qatar.
Rio Ferdinand's worries
Rio Ferdinand has his say on Harry Maguire. According to him, so far the Man United captain has never disappointed when wearing an England jersey, but he can't hide his concern for his youth performance.
"Harry never let England down. He was phenomenal for England. But his performances were very bad with Man United. He didn't get into the [United] team, he also had an injury," Ferdinand told Metro.
"With conditions like this, honestly I'm afraid this will be a bad scenario for Southgate," continued Ferdinand.
"As a manager, you want to go with things you know, with things you are comfortable with. He believes in it. Maybe it's blind trust, I don't know. But he believes in it," he added.
Back line stock is running low
Ferdinand also added that for now, the England national team's back line is less than ideal due to the injured players.
The man who is currently undergoing a profession as a pundit said Southgate's problem now is that he does not have a suitable central defender option. According to him, if one of the pillars is absent then the substitute players do not have the same quality.
"As a manager you will do what you know, with what makes you comfortable. The problem he has is he doesn't have four or five other candidates like in my generation where you can say 'he's not at his best' or ' he's not playing' or 'he's injured'," he said.
"I have Sol Campbell, Carragher, Woodgate, Ledley King, the list goes on. All those players starting today. I always think if you want to win a tournament you have to have a good defence. That's where we are probably at our weakest. right now. Even if there are no injuries or lack of form, I feel that is our weakest area." close Rio Ferdinand.
Source: Metro via Mirror
Starting from Reece James, Ben Chilwell, and Kyle Walker have been omitted from the squad. Only Walker is still being brought in by Southgate at the 2022 World Cup.
"Kyle Walker, England's fastest defender can't play. Maguire, his form and injuries are worrying. When you see this situation you think, 'What are we going to do?'" asked Ferdinand.