As reported by the Daily Star, out-of-favour Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw could be in a risk of losing his place in the national squad due to injury issues.
The 27-year-old has been craving for game time but his foot injury has been a major stumbling block. Shaw was awarded a spot in the starting XI by Erik ten Hag in the games against Brighton and Brentford.
However, the team performed miserable and the defender’s performance also came under severe criticism. To make matters worse, he was taken off in the second-half and since then he was never available for selection.
In his absence, Tyrell Malacia has established himself as one of the pillars of the team. The young left-back’s strong performance at the back-line has attracted huge praise from fans and pundits.
The former Feyenoord player has been an undistuted starter and it seems that it will be difficult for Shaw to get back his place in the team even after he makes a return from injury.
With his status at the club being under darkness, things doesn’t look easier for the national team as well. Gareth Southgate will be selecting his team for the UEFA Nations League fixtures against Italy and Germany this month.
However, these games will be the manager’s only chance of assessing his squad. Shaw was once a regular player for the Lions and he also scored a goal in the Euro 2020 finals against Italy. But his injury and poor form could make things complicated for the left-back.
England doesn’t have a host of options at the left-back region with only Ben Chillwell, Tyrick Mitchell and Kieran Trippier being the desired choices. Southgate could still pick one if these players as he would be able to pick a fit defender rather than keeping an out-of-form player within the squad.
The 27-year-old needs to pick up pace and get back to his best shape for the club if he wants to make it to the World Cup with England.
