Harry Maguire has admitted he was disappointed to be dropped by England manager Gareth Southgate after his arrest in Greece.
Maguire was arrested and charged with aggravated assault, resisting arrest and the attempted bribery of a police officer while on holiday on the Greek island of Mykonos last week.
The Manchester United captain was initially found guilty by a misdemeanour court in Syros but that conviction was quashed on appeal and he will now be subject to a retrial.
The England squad for upcoming Nations League games against Iceland and Denmark was announced midway through the first hearing with Southgate naming Maguire and insisting he had heard the player’s side of the story.
However, Maguire was subsequently dropped when the guilty verdict was announced and is yet to be reinstated.
In his first interview since the incident, Maguire said he had been saddened by the decision to remove him from the squad.
“I understand – obviously I’m disappointed,” he told the BBC.
“I love playing for my country, I’m physically good, I’m mentally strong.
“Mentally I can get over this. I’m a strong lad. I’m physically and mentally ready to play [so] no, I’m disappointed. But of course I understand.”
He did though say that he would not apologise for the incident because he maintains his innocence, suggesting he was the victim of misfortune rather than the perpetrator of any crime.
“I don’t feel I owe an apology to anybody,” Maguire added.
“An apology is something when you have done something wrong.”
In contrast to the treatment of Maguire by England, his club Manchester United have stuck to their initial assessment of the situation.
Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward held lengthy talks with the 27-year-old before deciding to retain him as club captain.
A statement from the club said: “[Maguire’s] appeal has been accepted and will lead to a full retrial in a more senior court.
“This means that Harry has no criminal record and is once again presumed innocent until proven guilty. Accordingly, he is not subject to any international travel restrictions.”
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