Harry Maguire 'feared for his life' during altercation in Greece

Manchester United defender and England international Harry Maguire revealed that he feared for his life when he was arrested by Greek police last week. The 27-year-old thought at one point that he was being kidnapped.

In a recent interview, he said that the plain-clothed police officers, who hadn't identified themselves during the arrest, pulled over Maguire's group's minibus in Mykonos. They then threw him off the bus and hit him on his legs before telling him that his career was over.

The defender admitted that he attempted to run away with a handcuff on simply because he couldn't understand who the men were.

On Tuesday, the United captain was handed a suspended sentence of 21 months and 10 days in prison following his trial on the Greek island of Syros. The court found him guilty of repeated bodily harm, violence against public employees, attempted bribery, and insult after arrest.

Consequently, on Wednesday, Maguire's legal team filed an appeal against the court's verdict. According to Greek law, the appeal nullifies his conviction. As a result, there would be a full retrial of the case in a senior court.

According to BBC, an emotional Maguire broke down during the interview. He said that hearing the guilty verdict was a "horrible" experience. The footballer also said that he "couldn't quite believe it." The England centre-back also denied throwing any punches or trying to bribe the police.

He said, "I don't feel I owe an apology to anybody. An apology is something when you have done something wrong. I don't wish it on anybody. They hit me a lot on the legs. It wasn't on my mind. I was in that much of a panic. Fear. Scared for my life. I regret putting the fans and the club through this, but I did nothing wrong. I found myself in a situation where it could have happened to anybody and anywhere."

The United skipper said that his family is suffering more as compared to him.

Maguire signed with Manchester United from Leicester City on an £80 million deal in 2019. He became the captain following Ashley Young's departure to Inter Milan, in January.

On the same day as the verdict, England manager, Gareth Southgate announced the national squad for the side's Nations League matches, due in September. Initially, Maguire was picked but his name was later withdrawn. He won't be wearing England colours next month when the team plays against Iceland and Denmark.