Harry Maguire insists he never feared for his England career after a turbulent year on and off the pitch that will see him aim to make amends against Denmark in the semi-final of Euro 2020 tonight.
Just 11 months ago, the Manchester United captain found himself locked up in a Greek jail for two days after a post-season holiday went wrong.
Maguire, 28, was given a suspended 21-month sentence after being found guilty of assaulting a police officer, swearing, resisting arrest and bribery during an incident in Mykonos.
He always protested his innocence and launched an appeal which nullifies the verdict and means he has no criminal record ahead of a full retrial.
The incident just days after the end of the delayed 2019/20 season had consequences that rolled into the new season.
He was dropped for England’s Nations League ties with Iceland and Denmark in September and looked like a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders even when he did return from club and country.
United conceded 12 goals in their opening three Premier League games, while his England return in October saw him sent off for two yellow cards after just 31 minutes as Denmark went onto win 1-0 at Wembley thanks to a Christian Eriksen penalty.
The two sides meet again in very different circumstances tonight.
Denmark are riding an emotional wave after the shock of seeing Eriksen suffer a cardiac arrest in their opening game.
But in stark contrast to their last encounter behind closed doors, England will have 60,000 fans on their side and one of their key players back to his best.
