England defender, Harry Maguire said the memory of losing in the 2018 World Cup semi-final is motivating the squad to succeed this time in the European Championship.
Gareth Southgate's team play Denmark in the second Euro 2020 semi-final at London's Wembley Stadium on Wednesday (July 7) and Maguire said the memory of the Croatia loss is in the players' minds and they have learnt a lot in the past three years.
Maguire will be at the heart of Southgate's defence on Wednesday, but he did not know if he would be fit enough to even make the squad after an ankle injury in May.
The defender suffered ligament damage in Manchester United's May 9 Premier League match with Aston Villa and missed the rest of the domestic season and his club's Europa League final loss to Villarreal.
He missed England's warm-up games and opening two matches in the Euros' group stage but returned in the final group fixture with Czech Republic and has been alongside John Stones since then.
Asked if he feared he might have to watch the Euros on TV rather than be on the field, Maguire, who scored a header in Saturday's (July 3) 4-0 win over Ukraine, said there was uncertainty.
The Yorkshireman added he did not know, when he was named in that squad, when he would be ready to return to action but is pleased with the way he has coped.
The winner on Wednesday night will play either Italy or Spain in Sunday's (July 11) final. Italy and Spain play at Wembley in the first semi-final on Tuesday (July 6).
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