Harry Maguire back in England training ahead of Euro 2020 opener

Manchester United centre-back Harry Maguire has returned to England training in the build-up to the Three Lions' first Euro 2020 game against Croatia on June 13.

Maguire has not been seen United's 3-1 win over Aston Villa in March, in which he picked up an ankle ligament injury which put his involvement in this summer's tournament in jeopardy.

England boss Gareth Southgate put his faith in Maguire by calling him up to his 26-man squad for the tournament in the hope that the defender would recover in time to play a role in the group stages, and things appear to be going to plan as England posted a video of Maguire back in training with the rest of the team.

While Maguire doesn't actually do anything in the video, it's clear that he was training without any significant supports for his ankle - suggesting he is close to making a full recovery.

Despite this positive update, the chances of Maguire starting against Croatia on June 13 remain slim. The 28-year-old has missed a month of action and will have just a few days of training before the game.

However, it is hoped that Maguire will be fit enough to feature in another of the group games, which will see England come up against Scotland on June 18 and the Czech Republic on June 22.

In the build-up to the game, United team-mate Luke Shaw confessed he had seen encouraging signs from Maguire's recovery, but putting a date on his return to action is still impossible at this point.

"Obviously he’s going along with his rehab, of course he’s getting better day in, day out, so there’s positive signs," he said (via Metro). "But I couldn’t say when I think he will be back. Of course we would like him to be back as soon as possible but that’s down to him and the physio.

"We’ll leave them to do their work and primarily focus on who is fit and available and be ready for the first game."

Maguire's lack of fitness was a large part of Southgate's decision to name Brighton centre-back Ben White as the replacement for the injured Trent Alexander-Arnold in his 26-man squad, with the England boss believing some extra cover at the back was necessary.

White was added to a centre-back group which also includes Aston Villa's Tyrone Mings, Manchester City's John Stones and Wolverhampton Wanderers' Conor Coady, of all whom will be battling for the chance to start against Croatia.

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