Manchester United are leaving Luke Shaw’s fitness to their England counterparts during Euro 2024 but have good lines of communication with the Three Lions medical staff.
Doubts are growing over Shaw’s ability to participate in the tournament after he once again trained on his own at England’s Blankenhain base on Saturday. He is unlikely to be fit to take part in the final game of the group stage against Slovenia on Tuesday.
When Gareth Southgate took the risk of including the left-back in his 26-man squad for the European Championship it was hoped that he would be fit enough to feature in the game against Denmark on Thursday. But Shaw is yet to train fully with the squad and has watched both games so far from the stands.
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His last game for United was on February 18 when he was withdrawn just before half-time in the win at Luton Town with a hamstring injury. That came a week after he managed just 45 minutes against Aston Villa.
When Shaw was included in the provisional 33-man squad Southgate said he was a “long shot” to make the tournament but England were encouraged by his progress and as the only natural left-back in the squad, they felt it was worth the risk to include him, even if he was unlikely to feature at the start.
United had no issue with Shaw being included in the squad and the medical departments at club and country have a good relationship, so staff at Old Trafford will be kept up-to-date with any developments. With the player on international duty, however, they are leaving Shaw’s programme and fitness decisions to their England counterparts.
With Shaw continuing to train, even if just on his own at the moment, United have no immediate concerns about his fitness ahead of pre-season. A date for Shaw’s return will be confirmed once England’s participation in Euro 2024 is over and at the moment United are still hoping their left-back will prove his fitness in time to play a part in Germany.