Euro 2020: Harry Maguire the only man to miss England training ahead of clash with Croatia

There was no sign of Harry Maguire during England’s training session on Wednesday with the Manchester United skipper continuing to be a major doubt for this Sunday’s Euro 2020 opener against Croatia.

While Gareth Southgate was able to put the majority of his 26-man squad through their paces at St George’s Park, Maguire was left to continue his recovery in the gym.

It’s a worrying sign for the England boss, who is hoping to have Maguire back in time in arguably England’s toughest game of the group stages.

The 28-year-old suffered ankle ligament damage in United’s win over Aston Villa last month and missed the club’s final five matches, which included the Europa League final.

While there have been promising signs of a recovery for Maguire, this Sunday’s clash against Luka Modric and Co looks to be out of reach, given his absence from training on Wednesday.

Maguire’s United team-mate Luke Shaw was confident that the centre-back would overcome his ankle problem but was unsure when his return would be.

‘Of course I think he’s a massive part of this squad whether he’s playing or not,’ England and United left-back Shaw told reporters when asked for an update on Maguire’s recovery.

‘I haven’t really spoken to him too much about his injury. Obviously I don’t want to pepper him with questions.

‘Obviously he’s going along with his rehab, of course he’s getting better day in, day out, so there’s positive signs.

‘But I couldn’t say when I think he will be back. Of course we would like him to be back as soon as possible but that’s down to him and the physio.

‘We’ll leave them to do their work and primarily focus on who is fit and available and be ready for the first game.’

Meanwhile, Southgate was happy to see other injury doubts take part in the session on Wednesday.

Bukayo Saka was with the group after missing Sunday’s friendly against Romania with a hip issue while Jordan Henderson also trained as he continues to build fitness, having undergone groin surgery in February.

Roy Keane questioned why Henderson was called up despite having not played a game since the beginning of this year, with the United legend suggesting he has only been included in England’s squad to do card tricks and organise team quizzes.

While Henderson is unlikely to be considered for England’s opener against Croatia on Sunday due to his lack of match sharpness, the Liverpool star insisted he has not been picked by Southgate to make up the numbers. 

‘As a player you want to play and I’m not coming here just to be around the camp, like Roy was saying,’ Henderson said.

‘He can say whatever he wants about me. I found it quite funny. We know a little bit more detail and so does the manager, which Roy may not.

‘I want to come here and I want to contribute in the games. How much is not really down to me, it’s up to the manager.’