Luke Shaw has recovered from a hamstring injury to give England a major boost ahead of the European Championship.
The Manchester United defender has not played for three months but was named in Gareth Southgate's 33-man squad ahead of Euro 2024 last month as the only left-back.
Shaw is coming off a 3-0 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina on Monday and there are still doubts about whether he will play regularly in Germany even if he can prove his fitness.
But he now looks set to take a significant step towards a final 26-man selection after returning to training on grass for the first time since February.
The 28-year-old is yet to take part in full training but was pictured beaming with team-mate Declan Rice on England's official X page on Wednesday.
:grin::grin: pic.twitter.com/hrd3U9dDM7
– England (@England) June 5, 2024
How important is Shaw's fitness to Southgate?
It looks like Shaw will be fit enough to start any of England's games, while Kieran Trippier could feature for Serbia, Denmark and Slovenia.
But the 31-gamer could recover early enough to play a key role in the playoffs should they reach that mark.
That would no doubt be good for Southgate, who has served the Red Devils at left-back in England's last two campaigns.
Shaw started every game for the Three Lions in a memorable campaign at the last Euros, scoring in the final as they were badly beaten by Italy on penalties.
He was almost always present at the World Cup in Qatar in 2022, where England were beaten by France in the quarter-finals.
What does Southgate say about Shaw?
Despite missing United's last 17 games of the season, manager Southgate said ahead of Monday's game at St James' Park that Shaw was a strong possibility for a place.
“He's progressing really well, I have to say,” Southgate told talkSPORT.
“I think I said last week that when we have players in front of us working with us there is a lot we don't know.
“We are happy with the way he is progressing. There is still a little work to be done before he enters the field in game condition.
“But I'm happy with the work he's doing with our physical and medical team, so, yeah, he's got a good chance.”
Can Shaw make the team even if it's not fully balanced?
Asked if Shaw could go to Euro 2024 even if he is not fully recovered, Southgate said: “That's what we have to fix.
“Because if he is not ready for the first games, there are many chances that he will continue to break the line.
“You have to make sure you have enough cover in that situation as well, so there's a numbers game we can play in the next few days.
“He's obviously a fantastic left-back, so there's a good chance he'll get a chance at a regular starter that we think he can add to the starting XI.
“But there is something knocking, it affects all those decisions and that's why we have to look at the whole picture and not the individual.”
Source link
