Maguire was selected for the England squad that is set to participate in the World Cup in Qatar despite not being as prominent a figure as he would have liked at his club side, Manchester United.
The centre-back has come under scrutiny for his errors at the back and has been used rather sparingly by current Red Devils’ manager Erik ten Hag so far in the ongoing campaign.
Allen believes that Southgate will have to reiterate his belief in Maguire’s abilities and focus more on the moments when he has delivered on the big stage in an England shirt.
Southgate himself came under intense scrutiny for missing a crucial penalty in the semi-final of the European Championship in 1996 and, according to Allen, will know exactly what the Manchester United captain is up against.
“I think just confide in him, that he believes in him, knows that he’s produced in the tournaments before and I think he’ll emphasise all those factors, certainly, lots of positives and very few, if any, negatives”, Allen said on Off The Ball in response to how Southgate can get Maguire playing his best football once again.
“Gareth’s been there himself.
“He’s had incredible press for missing penalties in big competitions, so he’s been there.
“He knows or he will understand the way Harry Maguire is feeling.”
Southgate’s England side will face Iran on Monday in Group B, which also features Wales and the United States.
