SHAW: My England regrets:

SHAW REVEALS ‘MASSIVE REGRETS’ OVER ENGLAND

LUKE SHAW regrets using physical excuses to withdraw from England squads in the past when the reality is he was not “mentally right”.

Right now, the Manchester United defender says he is fighting fit on both counts.

Having watched England overwhelm San Marino 5-0, Shaw started his first international match since 2018 against Albania on Sunday and promptly provided the assist for Harry Kane to score the first goal in Tirana.

In doing so, he hopes Gareth Southgate gives him the nod ahead of Ben Chilwell to face Poland at Wembley tomorrow.

But it is a far cry from previous times when Shaw would hide away from the England spotlight, leaning rather too heavily on his chequered injury history to avoid fighting for his place in the Three Lions set-up.

“I’ve a few massive regrets and I couldn’t stop thinking of the mistakes I made in the past, especially with England,” admitted the 25-year-old.

“I pulled out of a lot of camps. Around that time, I was maybe not in the best condition but I think over the last two years I’ve thought about it so much. I did have problems at the time, as in injuries. Maybe they were ones that could have been sort of dealt with but there was a lot on my mind, especially in times I had at United.

“My biggest regrets were just pulling out, and how I pulled out. And yeah, of course, letting Gareth down.

“I massively regretted doing that – playing for your country is a massive privilege and an honour and at times I took advantage of that. Maybe at the time, mentally I wasn’t right.”

Shaw’s physical problems started when he suffered a double leg fracture in September 2015. He was nevertheless called up to train with Sam Allardyce’s first England squad a year later, only to withdraw before the game against Slovakia.

He finally made his way back into the side but was carried off with a head injury in the 2-1 defeat by Spain at Wembley in September 2018 and then pulled out from the following month’s camp on the first day of reporting.

In March 2019, his previous call-up before this one, Shaw did not even make it to St George’s Park, excusing himself along with a host of players the weekend before the international break.

But some soul-searching during lockdown with his girlfriend Anouska Santos marked a change.

“We [the family] had a few discussions and we thought that maybe I wouldn’t be able to get back into it,” revealed Shaw.

“We had that sit down. My mum and dad were thinking that might be it for England. But my girlfriend was different. She always believed that I would fight my way back into the squad. And deep down I always believed that I could and I worked hard.

“I’m glad Gareth has given me another chance and, hopefully, I can just impress him and stake my claim to be in the squad.”