Shaw: I regretted not taking my chances
Luke Shaw has admitted he used to watch England matches and ‘regret not taking his chances’ on the international stage.
The Manchester United defender made a winning return for the Three Lions on Sunday as Gareth Southgate’s men beat Albania 2-0 in their World Cup qualifier.
It was Luke’s first game for England since September 2018, and it means he now has nine caps overall, nearly eight years after making his international debut.
Shaw, who has excelled at club level recently and has been nominated for the Premier League’s March Player of the Month award, said he is thrilled to be involved with the national team again after such a long absence.
When you've just made your first @England appearance since September 2018...
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) March 28, 2021
"The last two years I’ve been watching the games really regretting not being able to take my chance when I had them. I’m just so happy to be back." 🥰
🗣 @LukeShaw23 #ITVFootball | #ThreeLions pic.twitter.com/XB87NGKALp
“I’m so happy to be back and even if I’m not playing, just to be around the squad is still brilliant. Of course, I would love to be in the Euros squad [this summer], I think every single England player would want to be.
“There is very high competition - Chilly [Ben Chilwell] played the other night [against San Marino] and was outstanding. He’s a really good player and competition is great and I will just keep pushing myself.”
Luke helped England to keep a clean sheet against Albania, but his best moment of the game came in the attacking third, when he registered a superb assist for Harry Kane.
“I think it was a crucial time for me,” said our no.23. “I gave a few sloppy balls away and when you play with Harry Kane you know he’s going to be in the box and you know he’s going to always be there.
“It was a great header by him, and a great time for us to get the opener and settle things down.
🅰️ @LukeShaw23 putting it on a plate 🍽
— ITV Football (@itvfootball) March 29, 2021
⚽️ @Hkane finishing in style 😎#ITVFootball | #ThreeLions pic.twitter.com/bKU6AJ5uDh
“We got another clean sheet tonight but the pitch was very difficult. We got another three points and it’s job done. I’m very happy to be back in the fold.”
Make sure to keep up to date with all of our players in action for their countries, via our International Reds blog.