Former Arsenal forward Paul Merson has admitted that he is 'shocked' Luke Shaw has been included in the latest England squad by Gareth Southgate.
The Three Lions manager named a 28-man squad for Nations League matches against Italy and Germany later this month - the last international fixtures before the World Cup in Qatar.
With the World Cup starting in just a couple of months, players will be desperate to perform well in the upcoming matches and stake a claim to be included in Southgate's final squad.
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Harry Maguire and Shaw have both been included in the England squad for the matches against Italy and Germany, which has led to Southgate facing criticism given the pair are not getting regular minutes for United this season. While Arsenal legend Merson believes that Maguire was still a good pick for the Three Lions, he doesn’t understand why Shaw was selected.
"Not with Harry Maguire I wasn’t [surprised], I think he’s a big part of the England squad, the way they play and with Gareth," Merson told Sky Sports. "I was shocked with the Luke Shaw one, if I’m being honest. The amount of full-backs we have in this country and talented full-backs at that. I was shocked with that. But not the Harry Maguire one.
"I don’t think there’s a lot of panic but if Harry Maguire doesn’t get in the United team come November then there’s going to be a major worry for Gareth Southgate. In a way, he should’ve brought some players in that he might have to go to because you can’t go three months without playing football then play international football, especially in the heat they’re going to be playing in."
Surprisingly, Jadon Sancho was not included in Southgate’s England squad for this month’s Nations League games. Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford missed out due to injury, a setback that kept him out of United’s Europa League win over Sheriff Tiraspol on Thursday.
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