Gareth Southgate is set to start Luke Shaw for England in their European Championship final clash with Spain later tonight.
After their impressive semi-final victory against the Netherlands which saw Southgate’s side line-up with two wing-backs, many expected the England manager to name an unchanged side for the final.
However, according to Matt Law of The Telegraph, Southgate has opted to start Shaw in the left-back position rather than Kieran Trippier.
The Manchester United defender missed the opening half of the tournament as he was still recovering from a hamstring injury which he sustained back in February.
Shaw then made his first appearance in the competition against Switzerland in the quarter-final where he got almost a complete half of football under his belt before then playing 45 minutes against the Netherlands in the semi-final.
With such few competitive minutes under his belt over the past five months, it has come as a surprise to many that Southgate has decided to start him.
The 29-year-old will no doubt have his work cut out for him as he faces the unenviable task of shackling the dynamic Lamine Yamal who has been arguably the best player in the competition so far.
With a natural left-footer operating out wide it will hopefully allow Jude Bellingham to cut inside on his favoured right foot and solve one of England’s most obvious weaknesses.
England fans won’t forget the part Shaw played in the European Championship final against Italy in 2021 when the left-back stunned Wembley after he opened the scoring inside just two minutes.
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