England boss Gareth Southgate is reportedly expected to include an injury-hit Manchester United player in his preliminary squad for Euro 2024.
England boss Gareth Southgate has reportedly decided to show faith in an injury-hit Manchester United player ahead of Euro 2024.
On Tuesday, Southgate is due to select his preliminary squad for Euro 2024, the list likely to feature around 30 players who are in contention for the tournament in Germany.
There will be no rush to whittle down the squad with friendlies due to be played against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Iceland on June 3 and June 7 respectively.
Furthermore, UEFA’s deadline means that Southgate has until the latter of those dates to reach a final decision over his 26-player squad.
The extra leeway means that Southgate has the opportunity to assess a number of players who may be carrying injuries or have not necessarily been in the best form during the run-in.
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Shaw to be given England chance?
According to the PA News Agency, Southgate has taken the decision to give Luke Shaw a chance to prove his fitness ahead of potentially being used next month, and possibly beyond.
Shaw has made just the 15 starts for United throughout this campaign, one which has been disrupted courtesy of several injury issues.
The 28-year-old’s campaign has been disrupted by two significant muscle injuries, Shaw not featuring for more than six Premier League games in succession.
Although four appearances were made during February, Shaw has not played since February 18 when he was withdrawn shortly after half time against Luton Town.
His last England outing came all the way back in September, when he completed the 90 minutes as the Three Lions posted a 7-0 win over North Macedonia.
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Why is Shaw valued by Southgate?
With Shaw having experienced injury problems at various stages of his career, it is perhaps no surprise that he has only earned 31 caps for his country.
Over a third (11) of those appearances have been made at Euro 2020 or the 2022 World Cup, highlighting that he has been first choice under Southgate at those two competitions.
Furthermore, though, England are not in the best state when it comes to left-back, with Ben Chilwell having barely featured for Chelsea since suffering a knee issue during the March internationals.
Kieran Tripper, who plays at right-back for Newcastle United, has only just returned to fitness, while Chelsea’s Levi Colwill, with one cap to his name, has not played for Chelsea since the start of March.
The versatile Joe Gomez and inexperienced Rico Lewis – of Liverpool and Manchester City respectively – are other alternatives for Southgate.
