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England news: Man Utd star Luke Shaw expected to earn international recall from Southgate
LUKE SHAW is expected to be called back from the international wilderness when Gareth Southgate names his squad for England’s first games since the World Cup.
The Wembley opener against Spain on September 8 marks the third anniversary of Shaw’s last start against Slovakia at Wembley.
A week after that game, he suffered a double fracture of his leg and, after struggling even to maintain a regular first team place for his club, his England career since comprises solely of six minutes he played as a late substitute in Dortmund against Germany in March 2017.
With the Spain match marking the start of the new UEFA Nations League competition, Southgate has to field a relatively strong team or risk being relegated to the second tier of European football and suffer from a lower seeding as a result.
Man Utd's Luke Shaw prepares for pre-season training
But the kid has to know that he had three very good matches in the Premier League
He is largely expected to remain loyal to his World Cup stars on their official homecoming.
There is more scope for experimentation in the game against Switzerland the following Tuesday at the King Power Stadium in Leicester – the perfect opportunity to reintroduce Shaw to football at this level.
It has been a frustrating Three Lions career for a player who made his debut against Denmark in March 2014 and did enough to persuade Roy Hodgson to take him to the 2014 World Cup.
This summer, though, having completed a full pre-season, Shaw has started all three of Manchester United’s Premier League games so far.
Even Jose Mourinho took time out after the crushing 3-0 defeat against Tottenham on Monday to praise his left-back, whispering in Shaw’s ear as he left the pitch.
“I was particularly pleased,” said Mourinho.
“I was telling him, ‘You cannot play better than you did’. So of course the kid has to be upset with the result.
“But the kid has to know that he had three very good matches in the Premier League and today he was very, very good. I am very, very happy with him.”