'Highly unlikely' - England boss Gareth Southgate makes concerning Luke Shaw injury admission ahead of Euro 2024

The Manchester United defender is still recovering from a muscle problem that has ruled him out of much of the season. He is currently fighting to be back in time for the final few games of United's campaign, but he may still lack match sharpness going into this summer's tournament. As a result, Southgate admits that he may have to turn to defensive reinforcements in that position, particularly if his side play the full seven matches in Germany.

The Three Lions boss told reporters in Monday's press conference: "He’s going to be right on the edge of the season. We know now to play seven matches in a Euros is highly unlikely.”

On Shaw's most likely replacement, Ben Chilwell, Southgate added: "I thought Ben defended really well [against Brazil] and it was an important game for him. I don’t want to kill Ben. But Luke’s one of the best left-backs in world football, frankly.”

As Southgate alludes to, while Chilwell will travel to Germany barring any late injury troubles, the drop-off from Shaw is stark. Despite his manager's kind words the Chelsea man largely flattered to deceive in Saturday's 1-0 loss to Brazil. Another likely candidate to fill in for Shaw is Newcastle star Kieran Trippier, who has played at left-back for England in major tournaments before. Joe Gomez is also familiar with that role have played there many times for Liverpool this season.

Shaw hasn't played for United since he was brought off just before half-time against Luton on February 18. Famously an injury-prone player, this season has been no different for the 28-year-old, as he has made just 15 appearances across all competitions for his club.

The England full-back faces a race against time to be fit for the Premier League run-in for United, as well as their bid for the FA Cup. It seems likely that even a partially-fit Shaw will be taken by Southgate to Euro 2024, playing solely the latter games of the tournament if need be.