"Even if we miss the World Cup, I'll go to the U.S.!" Harry Maguire meets fans in New York as the 'Sticker Man'... "I may have been dropped by Tuchel, but the fans' cheers remain"

*This content was translated by AI.

Harry Maguire (33, Manchester United), who was left out of England's final World Cup squad, met with fans in New York, U.S., to ease his disappointment.

The UK's "The Sun" reported on the 20th (Korean time) that "after being left out of England's 26-man final roster for the North America World Cup, Maguire visited New York, spent time communicating with Manchester United fans, and distributed Panini stickers to children."

Earlier, Maguire was informed of his exclusion from the squad via a video call with England manager Thomas Tuchel. Despite the shock and the cancellation of his World Cup participation, he did not lose his cheerful demeanor and appeared before fans.

He visited a Panini van set up at Rockefeller Center in New York and personally gifted stickers to local children. The media reported that "children and fans were unable to hide their surprise at the unexpected appearance of a star player."

Maguire then took the stage at "Long Acre," a Manchester United fan-only pub near Times Square, actively engaging with local supporters by answering their questions.

Maguire had originally come to New York to appear as a special guest on Gary Lineker's podcast program "The Rest Is Football," which airs on Netflix. During the broadcast, he analyzed the strength of England and competing nations for the North America World Cup.

Meanwhile, a small incident occurred during the broadcast when Lineker praised manager Tuchel's tactics that led to England's victory over Croatia. After Lineker said, "Watching England's game today, you don't feel the absence of players left out of the squad," he immediately realized his slip of the tongue and quickly corrected himself, saying, "Of course, one (Maguire) is an exception."

In this tournament, England's central defense was composed of John Stones, Ezri Konsa, Marc Guehi, Dan Burn, and Jarrad Branthwaite.

Maguire, who had been confident of selection based on his performances at Manchester United, expressed deep disappointment upon being left out. Through his social media (SNS), he said, "I was certain I could play an important role for the national team, so this decision was very shocking and heartbreaking. There was no greater honor than wearing the national team jersey and Jo Guk-eul (CEO). Although I cannot be with you, I sincerely wish luck to our players participating in this tournament."

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*This content was translated by AI.