–Ikenna Okafor
Reece James has jumped to the defence of under-fire England stalwart Harry Maguire after the defender endured another difficult night against Germany in the Nations League at Wembley.
The Manchester United Skipper has lost his place at the heart of Erik ten Hag’s defence with Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez forming an impressive partnership which has underpinned the Red Devils’ recent revival.
Maguire, however, appears starved of confidence and was badly at fault for the concession of the second half penalty which helped Germany open the scoring in last night’s pulsating 3-3 draw.Asked how the dressing room reacted to Maguire’s latest error and the mistake committed by goalkeeper Nick Pope, who gifted the visitors and Kai Havertz an 87th minute equaliser, James insisted both players would bounce back.
He said: ‘I think when you’re playing and you make a mistake you don’t need to be told. I feel like you’re experienced enough to know you’ve made a mistake and you don’t need to be told.‘Harry hasn’t been playing too much this season. He’s still finding his rhythm. We know the quality he has. There’s no doubts. It’s just a little step up and I’m sure they (Maguire and Pope) will bounce back and be stronger.’
James defends Maguire despite error show