Gareth Southgate has revealed Luke Shaw and Lewis Dunk’s expected injury recovery timelines.
The Manchester United and Brighton defenders were confirmed as part of England’s 26-man Euro 2024 squad on Thursday, with the tournament getting underway next Friday despite carrying injuries.
Shaw has suffered with a hamstring injury which has kept him out of action since February.
Dunk, meanwhile, missed Brighton final game of the season at Manchester United due to a calf problem.
Addressing Shaw’s ongoing issue at his Euro 2024 squad announcement press conference, Southgate said: “Shaw has progressed well in the last few weeks.
“We think he can have involvement in the second group game. He’s had a good volume of work and operating at good speed.
“I think you can take one gamble and that’s a gamble which we have enough evidence on that we can take. The fact he has experience and he’s a left-footer that can drive forward too.”
Dunk, who has received his first call-up to a senior major tournament at the age of 32, won’t be available for Friday’s clash against Iceland either.
“Lewis Dunk won’t be available tomorrow [against Iceland] but can train from next week, everyone else is available to train tomorrow,” he said.
Veteran England centre-back Harry Maguire won’t have a spot on the plane this summer due to a calf injury, with the defender writing an emotional message to fans following confirmation of his omission.
“Part of the reason we couldn’t take Maguire is that he would have been the tenth defender, and that would have meant an unbalance elsewhere,” Southgate said.
“We definitely wouldn’t have had him in the group stages … we need cover and need players fit from the start.
“You know how I feel about Harry, what he’s done for England and what he’s done for me as a manager.”
Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite also missed out, while Liverpool‘s Quansah is on standby.
The defenders that made the cut alongside Dunk and Shaw include Joe Gomez, Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, John Stones, Kieran Trippier and Kyle Walker.
Meanwhile, the England boss stated striker Harry Kane could play 90 minutes against Iceland, but wasn’t certain.
The Three Lions play their final game before Euro 2024 on Friday in a friendly against Iceland, live on talkSPORT.
The Three Lions face Serbia in their opening game of the tournamnt on Sunday June 16, with kick-off set for 8pm.
The Euro 2020 finalists will also face Denmark, then Slovenia in Group C.