There’s no fear in the England squad, says Leicester City defender Harry Maguire

Leicester City defender Harry Maguire says there’s no fear in the England squad, as the Three Lions prepare to come back as heroes from Russia.

There may have been a lot of kerfuffle over who should have been in and out of Gareth Southgate’s squad, but it’s all in the past now.

Southgate has taken some very bold decisions and taken a squad that’s more or less unaware of what it means to play for your country in the world’s biggest sporting event, but that’s what the exciting part is, according to Harry Maguire.

Speaking to the Leicester Mercury, the 25-year old said:

"“You’ve seen it is a real young squad, not many have got much experience, but I’ve read in the press that maybe bad experience isn’t a good thing to have.“There is no fear in the squad – a young team, not many of them have played in big tournaments, but we’ll go there and take it on.”"

There are no expectations of England this time, and probably everyone has written them off, which is, in a way, good for them. Sometimes, not being under the pressure of a nation’s hopes is what you need to be able to play to your potential, and that’s exactly the case with the Three Lions.

Yes, there are obvious weaknesses in the squad, particularly in the midfield, but there are some incredible talents, too, in Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Jamie Vardy, Raheem Sterling, Dele Alli, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Harry Maguire, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jack Butland.

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It might not be the strongest England squad that we have seen on the international stage, but it’s not the weakest either and certainly deserves more love from the fans.

Maybe, they’d be better served when praised and admired for the footballing qualities that they have, not hated and criticised for the tattoos. Maybe.