GARETH SOUTHGATE may not seem to mind, but Harry Maguire understands that his status at Manchester United cannot last forever.

And if Erik ten Hag continues to limit the defender’s game time to about one match each month, he will need to discuss his future with the club.

Maguire played the entire 90 minutes — plus significant injury time — in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Brentford, setting up Scott McTominay’s 97th-minute winner.

However, the 30-year-old was only chosen because other defenders were injured, and he is expected to return to the bench if Raphael Varane and others return to fitness.

England manager Southgate would undoubtedly love Maguire to play more frequently.

Despite his diminished position at Manchester United, Southgate has named him to his side for tomorrow’s friendly against Australia and Tuesday’s Euro 2024 qualifier against Italy.

Nonetheless, Maguire is confident that his record under Ten Hag — in which he has won 14 of the 18 games he has started during the Dutchman’s tenure — is unmistakable proof of his talent.

That gives him hope that he can turn things around and have a future at the Theatre of Dreams.

The centre-back, who joined United from Leicester for £85million in August 2019, said: “I am not going to sit here all my life and play once a month.

“If it carries on I am sure myself and the club will sit down and have a chat about things.

“But at the moment I am focused on two big games for England.

“And then I am fully focused on fighting to try and win back my place at Manchester United and trying to help the team climb up the league to where we should be.

“I have belief in my ability and what I have done in my career.

“Every player who is on the bench should believe they should be starting otherwise they wouldn’t be playing at a high level.

“I am no different. It has been tough, I want to play games, I want to feel important to the club and to the rest of the team.

“I haven’t been playing nowhere near as much as I would like.

“I just have to make sure I am ready to take the opportunities when they come along.”

Saturday must have been an odd experience for Maguire after a year of criticism from experts and fans over his performances, as well as harsh comments from online trolls.

Instead of the customary sniping, he was largely commended for his effort as an unimpressive United was turned around by two injury-time McTominay goals.

Some United fans are now urging Ten Hag to continue with Maguire, who said after the win that his manager complimented him “really well done” in the dressing room.

When asked if this is a turning point for him to rejoin the Dutchman’s team on a regular basis, Maguire was dubious.

The former Foxes man — whose transfer to United is still the world-record fee for a defender — said: “It’s not my decision to whether I start the next game or not.

“If you look back on my last 15-20 starts for club and country, I would be happy to sit here and say I’m really happy with my performances.

“My record under this manager speaks for itself. I haven’t started as many games as I like but my win percentage when I’ve played is ridiculously high.

“Of course there are times when I could do more and could improve.

“I can only do what I’ve been doing when I’ve come into the team, bringing positive performances.

“I’ve started two games this season and come on in a few off the bench.

“The manager can only watch training and make his decisions from training in the games when I get the opportunity to play.

“I’ll keep working hard, I’ll keep pushing, I have great belief in myself and I’m sure there will be opportunities to come.”

Maguire would have seen more action if he had left the club in the summer.

West Ham were keen, but the Sheffield-born player said that it never reached to the point of his saying yes or no to the Irons because the clubs couldn’t reach an agreement.

Ten Hag may not be convinced by Maguire, but Southgate’s belief in him is unwavering.

To be fair, he has rarely let Southgate down with his England performances and would seek to reward that loyalty if selected against Australia tomorrow.

This week, it was announced that England will co-host Euro 2028.

Maguire will be 35 by then, so he is unlikely to be considered, but his love for his nation ensures he will be involved in some manner.

He added: “I’ll either be in the stands with my mates having a few pints or in the squad, helping the lads.”