Lee Carsley insists Harry Maguire ‘still has an important role to play’ for England despite leaving the Man United defender out of his second squad as interim manager as he explains picking Dominic Solanke

Lee Carsley has insisted that Harry Maguire has a future with England despite finding no place for the defender in his most recent squad.

The interim Three Lions boss was once again bold with his selections as England prepare for Nations League clashes with Greece and Finland later this month.

Carsley picked just seven defenders, with Kyle Walker earning his way back into the side despite not featuring in a competitive fixture for club or country since England’s heartbreaking Euro 2024 final defeat by Spain in July.

However, Maguire ultimately did not make the cut, though Carsley claimed the 31-year-old will have a role to play at international level going forward.

‘Harry [Maguire] is a player I’ve worked with in the past.’ Carsley said.

The 31-year-old was the highest-profile absentee of Carsley’s second squad as interim boss

Carsley also heaped praise on Dominic Solanke after handing him his first call-up in seven years

‘He’s been very positive in the conversation we’ve had. We’ve got some very good centre-backs that we want to see play. 

‘Harry still has a very important role to play, not only in this squad but in the campaign.’

After missing the entirety of England’s European Championship campaign through injury, Maguire was named in Carsley’s first squad as interim manager and started the 2-0 win over the Republic of Ireland last month. 

Another surprise from Thursday’s announcement came in the form of a recall for Dominic Solanke nearly seven years after his England debut.

The 27-year-old finished joint-fourth in the Premier League scoring charts with 19 goals for Bournemouth last season before securing a move to Tottenham in the summer.

Solanke has continued his good form since making the switch to north London, and netted the third goal in Tottenham’s decisive win over Manchester United on Sunday.  

Carsley said of his selection: ‘Dom is a player I’m fully aware of having worked with him in the past. 

Solanke made his sole senior appearance for the Three Lions in a friendly against Brazil in 2017

‘Dom was really close to being in the last squad, obviously he got injured just before selection. [He’s] a player that has done so well at Bournemouth and now he’s taken that form into Spurs. 

‘He’s got a lot of really good attributes that I really like as well as being a really nice person. He’s truly talented and it’s good that we’ve got him.’