The hamstring issue that has sidelined Shaw since February has persisted. Still, Southgate is optimistic about Shaw’s recent progress, so he’s included him in the squad…. In contrast, England’s defensive stalwart Harry Maguire—a teammate of Shaw’s at Manchester United—was benched after failing to overcome a calf ailment.

By stating, “He’s progressed really well in the last couple of weeks,” Southgate shed light on the reasoning behind his determination regarding Shaw. Our current thinking is that he might play a role in the second group match. Naturally, though, [he must] maintain making the necessary scoring runs. However, he is productive and has a solid body of work.

I think yоu cаn tаke оne gаmble, аnd thаt [grаbbing Shаw] is а gаmble thаt we hаve enоugh dаtа tо feel cаn pаy оff,” the mаnаger sаid, prоviding mоre cоntext fоr the strаtegic inclusiоn оf Shаw. аdditiоnаlly, we were interested in explоring the pоssibility оf bringing him оn аs а left-fооter becаuse оf his expertise аnd the fаct thаt he cаn drive fоrwаrd, giving us аnоther аttаcking оptiоn.Maguire, an Englishman with 63 caps, was upset when he missed the window of opportunity to recuperate before Euro 2024.

“Trent [Alexander-Arnold] can play both [in midfield and defence], we had nine defenders in the last couple of tournaments so I think we’re the same now,” Southgate responded when asked about Maguire’s omission. Part of the reason we couldn’t accept Maguire was because of that. If we had taken a tenth defender, our balance would have been off and we would have been weak in other areas.

We never would have had Harry in the group stages if it hadn’t been so difficult for him to make progress. Without knowing how to proceed, there were too many obstacles. His health and ability to recuperate from the injuries are the only factors that will be considered when making a decision about Harry. Since he is a formidable central defender for our team, there is no other rationale.Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite was also left out of Southgate’s roster, while Liverpool’s Jarell Quansah is on the bench. Joe Gomez, Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, John Stones, Kieran Trippier, and Kyle Walker are among the defenders that were selected, in addition to Shaw.

All of Southgate’s decisions will soon be tested as the competition draws near. English supporters will be watching closely to see how their team plays and if Shaw’s gambit pays off.