Rio Ferdinand believes Gareth Southgate made a huge mistake by selecting Manchester United skipper Harry Maguire in his Euro 2020 squad.
Southgate finally picked his 26-man squad on Tuesday afternoon, with Maguire included despite his recent injury issues.
The 28-year-old missed the Red devils’ final five games of the campaign – and also the Europa League final defeat to Villarreal – after ankle ligament damage.
It is still unknown when Maguire will return to full fitness – although he could miss most of the group stage matches – and Ferdinand fears he will struggle to make an impact during the Euros.
He told FIVE: ‘England needed another centre back. This tells me he [Southgate] is definitely playing three at the back.
‘Harry Maguire’s not even fit, I wouldn’t even take Maguire. You’re not fit, you’re not going to be fit for ages, it doesn’t make sense.
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‘I’ve been in squads with players who haven’t been fit and they don’t perform when they’re not themselves.
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‘It happened with Becks [David Beckham] and Wazza [Wayne Rooney]. As good as Maguire is, he’s not a Becks or a Wazza. ‘I don’t think you should take someone who’s not 100% fit. It’s hard to come back and get into a rhythm.
‘That narrative ends up taking over the squad and it becomes the conversation and a distraction. Do we really need that? It’s pointless I think. Hopefully he proves me wrong, I would love it if he did.’
Euro 2020 will kick-off on June 11 and England will start their campaign two days later against Croatia.
