England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford appears to hurt himself during Monday’s training session, but Luke Shaw returns ahead of Tuesday’s clash with Slovenia.
England manager Gareth Southgate may have been handed a new injury scare over goalkeeper Jordan Pickford ahead of Tuesday’s crunch Euro 2024 Group C clash with Slovenia in Cologne.
On the back of their 1-0 victory over Serbia on the opening matchday and 1-1 draw with Denmark last Thursday, the Three Lions are as good as through to the last 16 of the tournament thanks to their four-point total.
Two points clear of both Denmark and Slovenia at the summit, the Three Lions will qualify for the knockout stages in first place if they can better the Danes’ result, and even a third-placed finish should be enough to see them qualify owing to their points tally.
As is customary, England opened up their training session to the media on Monday morning, where according to BBC Sport, first-choice goalkeeper Pickford appeared to hurt his shoulder after making a save.
The outlet claims that the Everton man jumped up and held his joint before Aaron Ramsdale took over in between the posts, although he did not appear to have sustained a severe problem.
Pickford will be assessed in the coming hours ahead of the showdown with Slovenia, and Southgate – who has Ramsdale and Dean Henderson as backups – may very well be quizzed on the goalkeeper’s fitness when he faces the media.
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Luke Shaw returns to full training
In brighter news, Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw was able to take part in full training as he enters the final stages of the muscular problem that has sidelined him for over four months.
The 28-year-old was not involved in either of England’s opening two matches against Serbia or Denmark and was a surprise call-up to begin with, having been described as a “long shot” for the tournament by Southgate.
Shaw was still training individually over the weekend, suggesting that Southgate’s selection call had backfired and the defender would not be fit to face Slovenia, but he was reportedly looking lively as he rejoined his teammates on Monday.
As a result, an appearance in Cologne cannot be ruled out for Shaw, but the ex-Southampton man may instead be spared for the knockout stages as Kieran Trippier continues to deputise on the left.
Southgate is still facing a couple of critical selection calls, especially in midfield, as all of Adam Wharton, Kobbie Mainoo and Conor Gallagher are vying to take over from Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Alternatively, Jude Bellingham could drop into a deeper position, allowing Phil Foden to act as England’s number 10 and either Eberechi Eze or Anthony Gordon to strut his stuff on the left.