Shaw: My massive regret
I let Gareth down but now I want to prove myself again
Luke Shaw has promised not to let England manager Gareth Southgate down again after being handed an international reprieve and marking his comeback with an assist for Harry Kane.
Shaw, the Manchester United left-back, admitted that he and his parents thought he had blown his big chance with England after pulling out of squads, following his last international comeback against Spain in 2018.
But Shaw has revealed his girlfriend never lost hope and the 25-year-old wants to make up for lost time and prove to Southgate that he can be trusted ahead of the summer’s European Championship.
Southgate now faces a welcome selection headache between the Southampton academy graduate and Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell for tomorrow night’s World Cup qualifier against Poland at Wembley.
“I’ve a few massive regrets and I couldn’t stop thinking of the mistakes I made in the past, especially with England,” Shaw said. “I pulled out of a lot of camps. I was maybe not in the best condition, but I think over the last two years I’ve thought about it so much – that was my biggest regret. And yeah, of course, letting Gareth down. I tried to keep in touch with him just to let him know that things had changed.
“The last time I played [before Albania] was Spain. Of course, I wasn’t playing for my club much then and it showed that he [Southgate] still very much trusted me because he played me in that massive game. Maybe the camps after – my biggest regret is just pulling out and how I pulled out.
“Maybe at the time, mentally I wasn’t right. I think playing for your country is a massive privilege and an honour, and I think, at times,
I took advantage of that.”
Referencing the difficulties Shaw faced while Jose Mourinho was United manager, he added: “I did have problems at the time, as in injuries, but 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.
“People know what was going on, but Gareth has given me another chance and I need to prove to him I want to be part of this squad.”
Having become United’s outstanding performer this season, Shaw was desperate to get another chance with England – even though his mother and father were worried that ship had sailed. Such is his determination not to let Southgate down again, Shaw did not even tell his parents when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the United manager, told him he would be in the national squad a week ahead of schedule.
“We had a sit down and my mum and dad were thinking that that might be it for England, but my girlfriend was different,” Shaw said. “She always believed that I would fight my way back into the squad.”
Asked how he found out he had got back in, Shaw added: “To be honest, I knew quite a bit before because Ole had spoken to Gareth, and I think Ole was really happy for me, so he told me really early.
“I didn’t want to tell too many people and I wanted to keep it quiet. So, my girlfriend only knew, not my mum and dad, but I told them earlier in the morning on Thursday [the day of the announcement].”
Having been a surprise pick for the 2014 World Cup squad ahead of Ashley Cole, Shaw has missed England’s past two appearances at major tournaments.
“Of course, you watch the World Cup, you watch how well they [England] were doing and you can see how good the squad’s becoming,” Shaw said. “It’s always a massive honour to play for your country and I wanted to get back involved with England. I’m just really privileged to be able to get another chance.”
On the competition between him and Chilwell for the leftback place, Shaw added: “I think the competition is brilliant, not just the ones in the camp now but over the whole of the Premier League.
“For example, I know Matt Targett and he’s having a very good season. Aaron Cresswell as well and, of course, Bukayo Saka was here and played wing-back last time and he’s a brilliant player.
“Then Chilly – he’s been brilliant and he played the other night and was outstanding, so the competition is really high and it’s only good for Gareth. I enjoy competition, sometimes you need it to push
you on more.”