England handed Luke Shaw injury boost ahead of Euro 2024 opener against Serbia | OneFootball

Manchester United left-back could feature off the bench in Gelsenkirchen after recovering ahead of schedule from hamstring issue

Luke Shaw has handed England boss Gareth Southgate a major boost by racing ahead of schedule in his recovery from a hamstring injury - and could even feature in Sunday’s Euro 2024 opener against Serbia.

Even after making sufficient progress to be included in the final 26, the expectation from England’s medical staff was that Shaw would not be fit until next week’s second group stage game against Denmark at the earliest.

However, the 28-year-old has stepped up his rehabilitation in training this week and, speaking on the eve of the game in Gelsenkirchen, Southgate revealed he could yet be included in Sunday’s matchday squad.

Injury boost: Luke Shaw could play some part off the bench for England against Serbia

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“Everyone’s available,” Southgate said. “We have a decision on whether Luke is a possible to use from the bench or not, but everyone has trained today and is available.”

Even if Southgate decides against risking Shaw against Serbia, news of his accelerated recovery bodes well for the rest of the campaign.

Southgate decided not to name another specialist left-back in his squad and while Kieran Trippier has proven an able deputy, England’s attack has looked unbalanced without Shaw’s natural width.