Shaw adds another problem for Southgate
What’s going on with Luke ShawWhy was it included by Gareth Southgate in the call for the Eurocup if he had been injured and out of action for five months? His team has already played four matches in the tournament, is on the verge of playing in the quarter-finals, and there is no sign of Shaw, without any minutes and with little chance of getting into Southgate’s starting eleven for his next match.
The British team’s coach must have a lot of confidence in the Manchester United player to have called him up injured and to place a ‘patch’ like him in his position. Kieran Trippierwho has played in the Euros in Shaw’s position on the other leg. Or his confidence in other possible candidates whom he left in England must be zero, as is the case of Ben Chilwell o Tyrick Mitchell). The fact is that Shaw came to Germany not fully recovered from a hamstring injury that has kept him out of action since February and there is only conflicting news about him.
However, in the last few hours he has finally trained with the group. He was even the man scheduled to address the media on Wednesday, but at the last minute he changed his mind and decided to postpone his appearance until he had played a few minutes. His replacement in front of the press, the forward Ivan Toneywho has only played thirty Euros, joked about the change of plans: “It confirms that I am now a professional substitute,” he said with a smile.
And in the meantime, almost before every game, Southgate has had to answer whether Shaw was ready to return. First, against Serbia in England’s opening game, he hinted that he could already count on him, but in the end he did not play at all: “We have to decide whether it is possible to use Luke from the bench. All the players are available,” he said.
For the second match against Denmark, he was less optimistic: “He needs a bit more work, there are days when he needs to do more than the rest and he needs to recover”; for the third, against Slovenia, he threw in the towel: “Luke is the only one who is not available,” he said; and in view of the round of 16 match against Slovakia, he hinted that he could get minutes, something that did not happen either: “He is not ready to be a starter, we will speak with the doctors to see if he can participate,” he explained.
The Shaw show goes on. England, with no real left-backs, only have one who is not sure if he will ever play. Southgate took a huge risk by leaving others on the sidelines to bet on a full-back who was recovering from an injury. So far, the move has not worked out well for the England manager, who has turned Luke Shaw into a mystery, with many wondering why he was included in the final squad before others if he cannot play. Against Switzerland, however, the situation could change, to Southgate’s relief.
2024-07-04 23:36:19
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