Manchester United duo Harry Maguire and Marcus Rashford have finally had their say on the Three Lions’ dramatic dumping at the hands of France.
England lost by two goals to one against Les Bleus, a result that now sees Didier Deschamps and his men proceed to the semi-finals where they will face Morocco.
Alongside Maguire, the other United player that started the game was Luke Shaw who was tasked with the responsibility of keeping Ousmane Dembele at bay.
Rashford started on the bench and came on in the dying minutes of the game, with only a little time left to make a difference – a Gareth Southgate decision that has been widely questioned since the defeat.
Maguire, reacting to the defeat, stated that he was gutted and extremely hurt by the manner of the loss.
The United skipper added in his statement that he loved his country, before expressing his gratitude towards supporters and Southgate for their faith in him.
Last night hurt. Absolutely gutted. Special thanks to Gareth and you amazing fans who kept belief in me. I love my country and I hope we made you proud. 🏴🦁 pic.twitter.com/8qd4rJcaIm
— Harry Maguire (@HarryMaguire93) December 11, 2022
Rashford, who exits the tournament on three goals, was also thankful to supporters before making a pledge that both himself and the national team would come back stronger.
The 25-year-old wrote on Twitter, “The last few weeks have been a rollercoaster of emotions.”
“Each and every one of our team gave everything we had to be ready for what was thrown at us, we got close, but not close enough.”
“I’ll make a promise that we will come again! Thank you for the unconditional support.”
The last few weeks have been a rollercoaster of emotions, each and every one of our team gave everything we had to be ready for what was thrown at us, we got close, but not close enough.
I’ll make a promise that we will come again!
Thank you for the unconditional support. pic.twitter.com/G964SZYiCL
— Marcus Rashford (@MarcusRashford) December 11, 2022
The positive for the Old Trafford faithful is that their stars will get a few days off before returning to United training ahead of the resumption of club football.
Fans will be encouraged by their heroic and gallant performances for the country that will hopefully spill over to United.
