- Harry Maguire says he has dreamt of playing for England since a young age
- The Leicester City defender spoke to thefa.com prior to the Three Lions’ fixtures against Malta and Slovakia
- Maguire is looking forward to the experience of training and potentially featuring alongside England’s most talented players
The former Hull City man, who made the move to King Power Stadium in the summer, has been handed a maiden call-up to Gareth Southgate’s 28-man squad to face Malta and Slovakia alongside Foxes frontman Jamie Vardy.
The two 2018 World Cup qualifiers could potentially see the Three Lions extend their advantage at the top of Group F and Maguire knows it would be a huge achievement to make his senior international debut if called upon.
Speaking to thefa.com, Maguire said: “When you’re a young boy growing up and you want to be a footballer, the pick of the pile is always trying to play for your country. You dream about it when you’re young, so to get the call-up is amazing.
“I’ve tried to concentrate on my club form to impress the scouts, manager and his staff and now I’ve got the call, it’s all about coming into the camp, settling in, getting experience and trying to prove myself.
Delighted to have been called up to the @England squad for the first time. Looking forward to meeting up with the lads.🦁🦁🦁⚽️
— Harry Maguire (@HarryMaguire93) August 24, 2017
“Towards the end of last season at Hull, there was a bit of talk about him [Southgate] coming to games, but then I picked up a little injury which meant I wasn’t able to come into the camp.
“But to see that Gareth was coming back to watch me gave me great confidence and motivation to work hard in the off-season and get back in great shape to start well for my new club.
“It’s something that I’m really passionate about and I’m really looking forward to the challenge.”
Maguire linked up with his international team-mates at St. George’s Park on Sunday and is now looking forward the experience of working with England’s elite players.
“I had a meeting with Gareth when I first got here, a one-on-one,” said the City defender.
“Then he introduced me to everyone else and said that I was here on merit so it was a good welcome for myself, gave me great confidence and I just want to prove myself now.
“It’s a big squad and there’s lots of centre-halves in the squad all fighting for their position. We’re all playing well for our clubs, that’s why we’ve been selected.
“I know it’s going to be tough, but it’s great to come here for the experience to see the lads, meet the staff and hopefully it puts me in good stead for the future.”
Another man in contention for a Three Lions debut is Watford midfielder Nathaniel Chalobah, who Maguire played with for England’s Under-21s outfit against Northern Ireland back in November 2012.
“It was nice to see Chals (Nathaniel Chalobah) when I got here and we spoke about that game earlier, as it was his Under-21s debut as well,” added Maguire.
“To get the call-up for the Under-21s was quite surreal at the time, there was a lot of young players in that squad and as you often see with the Under-21s, some players progress and some fall down the leagues.
“But it was great for me and Chals to get our first Under-21s call-up at the same time and then get the senior call-up at the same time.”