Chelsea's Mason Mount and West Ham's Declan Rice heaped praise on Manchester United captain Harry Maguire for the England defender's dominant display against the USA.
Following the superb 6-2 win against Iran earlier in the week, not even the most pessimistic England fan could have predicted the dip in performance that occurred on Friday night. There was a severe drop-off in quality from the World Cup opener, as Gareth Southgate's side failed to find that vital creative spark to claim all three points.
Gregg Berhalter's US side looked the more likely to find the back of the net, as they tested Jordan Pickford on numerous occasions, missing a handful of gilt-edged chances to score.
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England's blushes were saved by Maguire, as the United captain put in a performance of the highest quality. The 29-year-old was unbeatable in the air, as he formed a formidable partnership Manchester City defender John Stones.
After the game, Mount was keen to highlight just how impressed he was with Maguire, as he heaped praise on his compatriot.
The Chelsea midfielder told ITV: "He was heading it everywhere, putting his body on the line, that’s what we want to do. We got through it, there’s question marks, defensively we stuck strong as a team."
Rice agreed with Mount, adding: "I think they’re [Maguire and Stones] two technically unbelievable footballers, they both can control the game from back there. They can suck them onto you and pop the ball off, again, very good blocks, good headers, them two were solid. It was important to get a clean sheet as well."
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