Jamie Carragher has told Harry Maguire to “come out swinging” in his bid to reverse a downturn in form for club and country.
The Manchester United defender gave away a penalty in England’s 3-3 draw against Germany on Monday night as calls for him to be dropped for the World Cup grew louder.
Maguire apologised for the error on social media and vowed: “The tough times will make us stronger.”
Carragher believes many of the centre-back’s problems are mental, following reports that United players were privately courting for him to be dropped last season. Such a “brutal” scenario can be dealt with, according to the ex-England and Liverpool man.
“I know how I would have reacted in the same situation,” he wrote in the Telegraph.
“The next training sessions would have been treated as if they were my last, taking no prisoners.
“Don’t believe me? Ask the ex-Liverpool defender and current Cameroon coach Rigobert Song. On the day I was called up to the England squad for the first time he openly laughed at me with some teammates.
“Twenty minutes later we were training and I approached the session like it was the Merseyside derby, the usual rules of no strong tackling abandoned as I relished every opportunity to demonstrate my competitiveness, especially when Song was nearby. A line had to be drawn. No-one was going to take the p*** out of me like that.
“Judge my attitude all you wish, but there are moments in your career when you have to look after yourself, protect your reputation and fight back, because the sport is brutal and once anyone smells blood - fans, teammates or coaches - they will finish you.”
Gareth Southgate defended Maguire after he was picked to start against both Italy and Germany.
He said: “I know everyone will focus on Harry but there were some very important moments that Harry delivered in the two matches.
“In these moments we have to back our best and most experienced players unless it's untenable.”
