Manchester United captain Harry Maguire has finally been given a date for his appeal against his conviction for aggravated assault, resisting arrest and repeated attempts of bribery on the Greek island of Mykonos.
The incident happened when Maguire was holidaying in the summer of 2020 and got into a drunken altercation outside a bar.
The United skipper was arrested, held in custody, then tried and found guilty but immediately lodged an appeal.
Under Greek law, the accused remains innocent pending the appeal, which has allowed the 29 year old to continue life as normal back in the UK.
Due to the backlog in the courts system in Greece, Maguire will have to wait almost three years from the date of his arrest to clear his name, with the appeal date set for June 7th next year (source: The Sun).
His lawyers are confident his appeal will be successful but if not, there is a slim chance that he might still receive a custodial sentence in Greece.
The more likely scenario though, is a hefty fine.
Maguire’s form since the incident has been erratic to say the least and many believe that having the conviction hanging over his head could have played a major role in his demise.
The fact that the date comes after the end of the 2022/23 season and the World Cup means that the England man can concentrate on his football for the next 10 months, although he would perhaps have preferred to have had the chance to clear his name sooner.
If it is weighing heavily on his mind, having the hearing looming just six months after the World Cup could be a distraction.
If he is not acquitted, it is unclear at this stage whether United and/or England, who have both stood by the player, would then be forced to punish him. It is also unknown as to the effect it might have on the player himself.
Maguire is set for greater competition for his place in the starting line up this season, with Lisandro Martinez having joined the ranks from Ajax.
This has prompted Erik ten Hag to move Maguire over to the right centre back position, for which he will have to compete with Raphael Varane and Victor Lindelof.
Ten Hag’s pre-season selections so far suggest that he could start the season with the experienced Maguire-Lindelof partnership, but the impressive performances of Varane and Martinez against Rayo Vallecano on Sunday will make the decision a tougher one.
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