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| Luke Shaw has rubbished claims that he's not committed to Manchester United as he races against fitness ahead of England's Euros opener. (Photo credit: ESPN) |
As England prepares for their opening game in the upcoming 2024 Euros in Germany, Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw has blamed the manager, Erik Ten Hag, and United’s medical team for his prolonged injury.
England head coach Gareth Southgate has confirmed that he selected Shaw in his 26-man contingent for the continental championship as a "big gamble" and will hope the Manchester United defender wins the fitness race ahead of the game against Serbia on June 16th.
Shaw stated that he has remained sidelined because of his involvement in the game against Luton Town in February. "If the manager asks me to play, I'm never going to say 'no.' But I shouldn’t have played at Luton," Shaw said. "It's kind of everyone's fault. It's partly my fault and the fault of the [United] medical staff.
"I came back too quickly, and I actually ended up getting another injury in my hamstring... I did push to do everything I could to be fit for United." Shaw also rubbished claims by some former Manchester United players that he was fit to play towards the end of the season but refused to.
Shaw watched on as England lost at Wembley to Iceland, their second-ever loss to the tiny European nation, but the United defender believes it was the right result to get his teammates to realize that going to Germany won’t be an easy ride.
Southgate is willing to give Shaw a chance in his team, but the defender must find fitness. "I would love to make the first game, but I don't want to rush too quickly because, realistically, I've only got one chance. If I feel something, then that's it. I don't want that to happen."
England faces Serbia in the Group C opener on June 16th, before entertaining Slovenia days later and then Denmark in their final group game. The 3Lions remain the outright favorites to win the group; will they do better than their runner-up achievement of the post-pandemic Euros in 2021?