England manager Gareth Southgate could be left with a problem if he continues to select Manchester United defender Harry Maguire, according to Lee Sharpe.
The 30-year-old has started just two of United's 11 games in all competitions this season after falling out of favour under Erik ten Hag and has been linked with a January move to West Ham.
But Southgate has continued to keep faith in the former Leicester City player and Maguire is expected to feature again in Tuesday's Euro 2024 qualifier against Italy at Wembley.
Asked by Express Sport if Southgate should drop Maguire, former Manchester United midfielder Sharpe said: "Potentially. Gareth Southgate needs to be very careful picking players who aren't playing because it sets a precedent for other players who may not be playing and knocking on his door, causing a bit of trouble for wanting to play.
"We've got strong players in every position now in the England squad, it's really difficult for people to keep their place in Gareth Southgate's squad when they're not playing and there's a lot of other talented players out there who are playing regularly and really well.
"So on both sides, Gareth Southgate is going to struggle to keep picking him when we have so much talent down there."
Despite his struggles at Manchester United, Maguire has continued to perform well on the whole for England and has built up a strong understanding with John Stones at the heart of the Three Lions' back line.
"On the other hand, you have an experienced centre-back in Harry Maguire, who has never let England down," Sharpe said.
But the 52-year-old believes he will need more game time if he is to play a part at Euro 2024, with England on the verge of qualification for next summer's tournament in Germany.
"In Maguire's case, he's not playing regular football, so he's not going to be match fit and match sharp, so to go into a big tournament without a regular run of games is very difficult to do," he said.
"Even if in your head you're prepared, you're still not up to speed and playing Premier League football at the top level week in, week out, which gives you the match sharpness, the reading of the game.
"So it's a difficult situation for both of them, and that's one of the reasons why I thought a West Ham move would work out for him."
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