Luke Shaw has handed England boss Gareth Southgate a major boost by racing ahead of schedule in his recovery from a hamstring injury - and could even feature in Sunday’s Euro 2024 opener against Serbia.
Shaw has not played in four months because of the problem and when Southgate named his provisional 33-man squad last month he rated the Manchester United defender as a “long shot” to make the tournament.
Even after making sufficient progress to be included in the final 26, the expectation from England’s medical staff was that Shaw would not be fit until next week’s second group stage game against Denmark at the earliest.
However, the 28-year-old has stepped up his rehabilitation in training this week and, speaking on the eve of the game in Gelsenkirchen, Southgate revealed he could yet be included in Sunday’s matchday squad.
“Everyone’s available,” Southgate said. “We have a decision on whether Luke is a possible to use from the bench or not, but everyone has trained today and is available.”
Even if Southgate decides against risking Shaw against Serbia, news of his accelerated recovery bodes well for the rest of the campaign.
Southgate decided not to name another specialist left-back in his squad and while Kieran Trippier has proven an able deputy, England’s attack has looked unbalanced without Shaw’s natural width.
