Harry Maguire found guilty of aggravated assault, resisting arrest and bribery

The England squad for the upcoming UEFA Nations League was announced by Gareth Southgate yesterday and lot of questions were asked. The most frequent ones were the exclusion of Jack Grealish and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, while many were amazed by the inclusion of Manchester United skipper Harry Maguire, who was recently accused of an aggravated assault and was under police custody.

Southgate came in his support and clarified that he had contacted with the club and the player, and he would wait for the final verdict to arrive before jumping to conclusions. Southgate did mention that the list was not fixed and could be modified as per requirements.

A few hours later it was announced that Maguire had been found guilty of an aggravated assault, resisting arrest and repeated attempts of bribery at a trial in Greece on Tuesday. Consequently, Southgate later released a statement that due to the defender being adjudged guilty, Maguire had been dropped from the national squad, specifically for games against Iceland and Denmark.

Maguire, who spent last Thursday and Friday night in custody, denied the charges but was convicted on all counts later by a three-member misdemeanors court. The center-back though has stuck to his decision and maintains his innocence. Manchester United also confirmed that his legal team would appeal against the verdict after an adjournment request denial.

The statement released by Southgate read, 

“In light of this evening’s developments, I can confirm I have withdrawn Harry Maguire from the England squad for the matches against Iceland and Denmark. 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.”

Apart from this, youngsters Phil Foden and Mason Greenwood were also called up for their first senior appearance.

Featured image credits- Sporting News