The Man United Captain and England international was found guilty in a Greek court after an incident in Mykonos last Thursday night.
Harry Maguire thanked Manchester United for the support they have offered in the aftermath of the incident in Mykonos last week.
The United captain was arrested and then found guilty of charges including resisting arrest, aggravated assault and bribery after a disturbance on the Greek island, though after being sentenced, his legal team lodged an appeal on Wednesday, overturning the conviction in accordance with Greek law.
We understand United do not plan to strip Maguire of the captaincy right now, and the 27-year-old has explained how supportive the Old Trafford club have been.
In an interview with BBC Sport editor Dan Roan, Maguire went through the incident in full and reiterated his belief that he is innocent of all charges. He was also asked about his role as United captain.
Maguire said: “You see a lot of reports going around and it’s such a huge honour to be captain of Manchester United, something I’m really proud of. It’s a massive privilege to even play for the club, never mind be a captain. Obviously it’s not my decision to make, but one thing I will say is how supportive the club has been from top to bottom, they’ve been great with me and I thank them for that.
“It means everything. Obviously it’s been such a difficult time. My main focus is obviously family, but the next best thing closest to my family is football. Playing for Manchester United is something I love and the club has been great with me.”
Maguire also has accepted Gareth Southgate’s decision to withdraw him from the England squad, which was announced the same day as his guilty verdict was reached.
“Yeah I understand, obviously I’m disappointed,” he added. “I love playing for my country. I’m physically good I’m mentally strong, mentally I feel like I can get over this. I’m a strong lad. I’m ready to play, so I’m disappointed but of course, I understand.”
Asked if he regrets going to Mykonos and putting himself in view of the public, Maguire responded: “No, I think it could have happened anywhere. I love Greece, I love the people there, I’ve been to six, seven, eight Greek islands, I go most years on my time off. Me and my family love Greece, so I don’t feel like I did anything different. I’ve been to Mykonos before and had a great time.
“I found myself in a situation where it could have happened to anyone, and anywhere.”
