Jason Burt Chief Football Correspondent 07 June 2024 7:03am BST In the ever-evolving England team under Gareth Southgate there has been one partnership that has remained a cast-iron

certainty: Harry Maguire and John Stones at the heart of the defence. Now it has gone. Eight years of knowing they will play, apart from a period when Stones was left out in 2020 because he

was out of favour at Manchester City, has abruptly ended. Through the 2018 World Cup, to the last European Championship, to the 2022 World Cup the pair have been immovable in the manager’s

mind. No one has come close to dislodging either of them but, unfortunately, injury has suddenly done so. It is a cord Southgate has not wanted to break, whatever the merits of challengers

for that match. And probably beyond. After all, Southgate successfully gambled on Maguire’s fitness at the last Euros, playing Mings in the first two group games, before bringing him back

alongside Stones in the run to the final. He was willing to take the risk again but the medical advice on his calf issue has finally ruled that possibility out. It means England go to a

major finals with one central defender, Stones, who has 71 caps and four – in Guehi, Dunk, Gomez and Ezri Konsa (although the latter two will also provide full-back cover) – with just 33

between them. In terms of experience it is a far cry from the last time England played a tournament in Germany, the 2006 World Cup, when they included Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Sol Campbell

and Jamie Carragher who could call on 164 international appearances between them. What is so remarkable about Maguire is not just how well he plays alongside Stones and vice-versa, and how

they complement each other, but how well he has largely continued to play for England despite his troubles at Manchester United which have endured for years rather than months. For example,

Maguire would have kept his place, if fit, ahead of Jarrad Branthwaite, who did not make the final cut, for England even though it is feasible that United will buy the Everton defender this

summer – if the asking price can be negotiated down – and the 21-year-old would then replace Maguire in their team. United tried to dispense with Maguire last year but he was unwilling to

make the move to West Ham United and stayed and ended up playing 31 times. Even if Branthwaite – or Nice’s Jean-Clair Todibo or another centre-half is signed – it appears he will want to do

so again. Maguire keeps coming back time and again – and shows incredible levels of resilience. He has an unusual robustness. Maguire made the team of the tournament at the last Euros,

despite missing those games, and was in contention – and made some organisations’ best XIs – for both the World Cups. It is often argued that Maguire, especially with his lack of mobility,

has held England back. And yet no one has managed to replace him while Southgate, who earned most of his 57 caps as a centre-half, has never stopped believing. In the past the pressure on

him to drop Maguire has been immense but he has never – rightly or wrongly at times – given into it. His faith has been unwavering. “You know how I feel about Harry Maguire and what he has

done for England or for me as a manager,” Southgate said after announcing his squad. He then admitted that the player could not have featured in any of the group games and had to be left out

as a “victim” to “balance out” the squad. There are just eight defenders – plus Trent Alexander-Arnold – in the 26. In the last two tournaments England took nine. Maguire would have been

the 10th. Omitting him is, therefore, the right thing to do but it is also astonishing that leaving Maguire out has been met with such levels of disappointment. After all it was only last

September that he came on as second-half substitute against Scotland in Glasgow, scored an own goal and was constantly goaded by the home fans. He almost appeared cursed. That evening

Maguire was undoubtedly suffering from a rustiness and a lack of minutes and, now, the 31-year-old has not played since United’s 1-1 draw at home with Burnley at the end of April. He could

not go to the Euros. The England supporters were staunch in their defence of him in Scotland – singing that song about the size of his head – and that has largely been the mood throughout

Maguire’s international career even if, at times, he has appeared to be pursued by one apparent catastrophe or another. England has been Maguire’s haven and he has rarely let England down.

Now they will have to do without him.