Luke Shaw’s Euro 2020 Injury ScareLuke Shaw’s Euro 2020 Injury Scare By Mike McGrath Luke Shaw revealed his fears that his European Championship campaign could be over after suffering a muscle injury in training earlier in the tournament. Shaw had been sidelined for over four months with a hamstring injury and had to undergo a scan after “overstretching” himself during a training session. The Manchester United defender was left off the bench against Denmark and trained independently before being named as a substitute for the final Group C match. Making his tournament debut against Switzerland, Shaw admitted concerns about the extent of his injury. “I think so,” he said when asked if he worried his European Championships were over. “Because of what I’d been through. I’d worked so hard to get there.” Shaw’s injury nightmare began when he rushed back to save Manchester United’s season at the request of Erik ten Hag. The defender admitted he should not have played after picking up an injury against Aston Villa the previous weekend. Despite concerns, Southgate called Shaw’s inclusion in the squad a “long shot” but justified the selection as he was the only orthodox left-back in the team. Important Tournament Dates: * Semi-finals: July 9-10 * Final: July 14 Euro 2024 Host Cities: * Germany will host the tournament in 10 cities: Dortmund, Hamburg, Berlin, Leipzig, Munich, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Cologne, Düsseldorf, and Gelsenkirchen.
By Mike McGrath, in Blankenhain
Luke Shaw admitted he feared his European Championship was over after suffering a muscle injury in training earlier in the tournament.
Shaw was out for more than four months with a hamstring injury and had to undergo a scan after ‘overstretching’ himself during a training session at England’s base camp in Spa & GolfResort Weimarer Land.
The Manchester United defender, who admitted he was “maybe a little bit” surprised to be named as the only left-back in Gareth Southgate’s squad, was left off the bench against Denmark and trained independently before being named as a substitute for the final Group C match.
He made his debut in the tournament as a substitute in the quarter-final against Switzerland, but due to his earlier setback he feared he would not be available for the entire tournament.
“I think so,” he said, when asked if he was worried that his European Championships were over. “Just because of what I’d been through. I’d worked so hard to get there and then of course I was worried if something like that happened, but I’d had a scan and it wasn’t that bad, so it was a minor thing.
“I honestly overexerted myself, but it wasn’t serious. I’m here now and happy.”
Ahead of the final, Shaw said his injury nightmare began when he returned to save Manchester United’s season and Erik ten Hag asked him to play before he was ready to return.
His last game for the Swiss squad was on 18 February, when he was injured at Luton Town. He admitted that, based on his own judgement and that of the United medical staff, he should not have played after picking up an injury against Aston Villa the previous weekend.
Southgate called his inclusion in the Euro 2024 squad a ‘long shot’ but was the only orthodox left-back in the squad, with Kieran Trippier switching flanks to come on.
When asked if he was surprised to be the only left-back in the squad, Shaw said: “Maybe a little bit, but I also know how well Kieran Trippier can do at left-back, I could see him at left-back anyway. A bit of a surprise, but not too much.”
Important tournament dates
Semi-finals: July 9-10
Last: 14th of July
Where will the 2024 European Championship be held?
The tournament is played in Germany and has 10 host cities: Dortmund, Hamburg, Berlin, Leipzig, Munich, Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Cologne, Düsseldorf and Gelsenkirchen.
