Gareth Southgate hails Ole Gunnar Solskjaer decision behind Harry Maguire development

Since being named Manchester United captain, Gareth Southgate believes Harry Maguire has developed into a much better player and leader.

Maguire joined the Red Devils in August 2019 and was named club captain in January 2020, following the departure of Ashley Young to Inter Milan.

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The 28-year-old has established himself as a key player for both club and country, returning from injury to start England's last three games and excelling in each.

Southgate is pleased with how far the center-back has come in recent years and has commended United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for appointing him, captain.

When the players aren't with us, we keep in touch with them as much as we can,' added Southgate.

‘I try to respect clubs and avoid interfering, but there are instances when problems happen and they want further assistance.

‘Harry had a rough start to the season on a lot of fronts.

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So it's incredible to watch how much more confident he's become as a leader. Within the group, you may see this.

'Being captain of Manchester United is a huge duty and a huge challenge, but it's brought a lot more out of him.'

You can tell he's more confident in himself and has progressed not only in his game but also in his maturity.'

Maguire scored in the 4-0 thrashing of Ukraine on Saturday night, securing a place in the semi-finals against Denmark on Wednesday, and his focus instantly shifted to that match at Wembley following the victory in Rome.

‘It's a fantastic sensation. Achieving back-to-back semi-finals at a major competition is a huge accomplishment,' he remarked.

‘I don't want to ruin the fun. Another major game is on the horizon. This time, we want to go even further than we did at the World Cup.

‘It feels amazing to be here, and the manner we got here demonstrates the progress we've made.' May the progress continue for a long time.

In the dressing room, we have a lot of faith. It was a very outstanding performance. We must now relax and heal.

‘It is hard to soak it up when you have another big game coming and you know who you are playing and when.

‘The dressing room will be a great atmosphere tonight and then we will wake up tomorrow and be focused again.

‘This group are not settling for a semi-final, we want to go further.’