- Harry Maguire and Jack Grealish missed out on Southgate’s final England squad
- Shaw made the 26-man cut despite last playing on February 18 against Luton
- Click here to follow Mail Sport’s Euro 2024 WhatsApp Channel for all the latest breaking news and updates from Germany
Gareth Southgate has claimed that Luke Shaw could be available to face Denmark in England’s second group match at Euro 2024 on June 20.
The England manager spoke on Thursday after the FA confirmed the final 26-man squad that will travel to Germany to contest the tournament that gets underway next week.
The likes of Jack Grealish, James Maddison and Manchester United defender Harry Maguire all missed out on selection, with the Red Devils star failing to recover from a calf injury.
Southgate opted to pick his United team-mate despite his own injury problem which have kept him on the sidelines for four months. The Three Lions boss admitted that taking the left-back is a risk but revealed that he is progressing well with a view to being fit for the group stage.
‘He’s progressed well in the last couple of weeks.’ Southgate said. ‘At the moment, we think he could have some involvement in the second group game. But he’s got to keep hitting the markers.
‘He’s had a good volume of work, operating at good speeds as well. I think you can take one gamble, and that’s the gamble that we’ve got enough evidence that we can pull off.
‘And also positionally the fact that he’s a left footer and can attack in a different way as well, that’s an option we wanted to explore.’
Grealish, Maddison and Maguire joined Curtis Jones, Jarrell Quansah, Jarrad Branthwaite and James Trafford in missing out on a place in the final tournament roster.
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The Manchester City winger has now paid the price for his disappointing campaign at the Etihad.
Elsewhere, Liverpool midfielder Jones also will be among the players to miss out on the final England squad for Euro 2024. Jones will join Maddison who has also been told he won’t make the final cut.
The Anfield star was handed his first call up when Gareth Southgate named his provisional 33 man party for the tournament last month.
It is understood Maddison was in line to play in Friday’s final warm-up fixture versus Iceland, but that will no longer be the case with Jarrod Bowen pushing to take his place in the team.
Sources indicate Maddison’s decision to leave the squad on Wednesday is linked to Southgate’s decision to leave him out of the final party.
Following the confirmation of the squad, attention now turns to that final fixture before the Three Lions’ campaign gets underway on June 16.
Southgate declared that surprise inclusion Lewis Dunk will not be fit for the Wembley clash but – aside from Shaw – the rest of his team has a clean bill of health.
‘Luke is still in rehab,’ the England boss added. ‘Lewis Dunk won’t be available tomorrow but will be ready to train from the beginning of next week. Everybody else is available. Harry [Kane] could play 90 minutes, not sure he will. No other concerns right now.’