[ad_1]
Luke Shaw has offered an emotional insight into his injury-plagued season, saying he blames himself and Manchester United’s medical department for hamstring problems that have threatened England left-back spot at Euro 2024.
Shaw, who is struggling to be fit for England’s second group game against Denmark on June 20, has not played since coming off against Luton on February 18 and it was a big doubt to be included in Gareth Southgate’s final 26-man squad for the tournament.
The 28-year-old has had to be mentally tough and was hurt by accusations that he was more focused on doing well for his country than making himself available to United at the end of last season.
The reality, Shaw explained, was that he pushed himself too hard in an attempt to be fit for FA Cup final against Manchester City. A failure followed which deepened the defender’s frustration and left him “devastated”.
Shaw, who is the only left-back in the England squad, explained that mistakes were made when he went off with the initial injury at half-time against Aston Villa in February. It backfired when he was given the all clear by the medical department to start when United visit Luton in their next game.
“I felt something against Aston Villa and I came off at half-time at Villa Park,” Shaw said. “It’s everybody’s fault to some extent. Partly my fault, partly the medical staff’s, I think anyone would admit that. I haven’t worked out all week. The scan came back and there wasn’t too much. But I didn’t train all week, I trained the day before the game. If the manager asks me to play, I will never refuse. I shouldn’t have played.”
Shaw is likely to be key to England’s hopes of glory in Germany. Southgate’s back four is now bereft Harry Maguirewho was left out of the squad due to a calf injury, and concerns about the team’s chances deepened when they fell to Defeated 1-0 by Iceland in their final warm-up game on Friday.
It hasn’t been the ideal build-up for England, who face Serbia in their Group C opener on June 16. Southgate has several fitness concerns and is expected to ask right-footed Kieran Trippier to replace Shaw, who is yet to return to full training.
The positive for Shaw is that he is making encouraging progress. Southgate described him as a “long shot” when he named his provisional 33-man training squad last month. “Nobody knows the situation, what’s going on,” Shaw said.
“I think people saw that there was a setback, but I was actually very close to getting back into team training. Of course I pushed to try and come back for the games and the final and I think I pushed too hard.
after the promotion of the newsletter
“I came back too quickly and ended up picking up another hamstring injury, which was three weeks before the final and they said it was a six-week injury, so that’s the reason for that setback. I think people get confused about what actually happened because nothing was said.
“A few people came up to me and said, ‘How come you’re not fit for United but you’re fit for England?’ But the circumstances were such that I insisted on doing everything I could to be fit for United and that was really my whole season. It was disappointing for me but I want to do everything I can, above all for United.
“It’s better for me to come out and say what happened because I think there were a lot of questions about how I could be here and not at United. It’s a little bit on my mind because I don’t want people to think that’s what I do.
Shaw is optimistic about going into the tournament but is not obsessed with England’s first game. “It’s not really up to me,” he said. “We’re just going day by day to see how I feel in training. I’d like to do the first game, but I don’t want to rush too fast because realistically I only get one shot. If I feel something, that’s it. I don’t want that to happen.”
[ad_2]
