Man Utd and England star Luke Shaw regrets agreeing to Erik ten Hag request as he faces Euro 2024 fitness race

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag (Picture: Getty)

Manchester United and England defender Luke Shaw admits he regrets accepting Erik ten Hag’s request to play in the match that is threatening to blow his Euro 2024 dream.

Shaw is battling with a hamstring injury ahead of the start of the Euros, with Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate admitting England’s first group game against Serbia will come too soon for the 28-year-old.

Given England’s problems in defence – fellow Manchester United defender Harry Maguire failed to make the final Euros squad due to injury – Shaw’s return would be a huge boost to the team’s chances of a first major trophy since 1966.

But Shaw has not featured in almost four months after aggravating a hamstring injury in Manchester United’s 2-1 win over Luton Town on February 18.

The left-back had to go off with a hamstring problem the week before against Aston Villa but was asked by Ten Hag and United’s medical staff to feature against Luton – something he regrets agreeing to.

‘I felt something against Aston Villa and came off at half-time at Villa Park,’ Shaw said. ‘It’s kind of ­everyone’s fault. Partly my fault, partly medical staff, I think everyone would admit that.

‘I didn’t train the whole week. The scan came back and there wasn’t too much there. But I didn’t train all week, then trained the day before the game. If the manager asks me to play, I’m never going to say no. I shouldn’t have played.’

Luke Shaw faces a race to regain his fitness for Euro 2024 (Picture: Getty)

Shaw says he wanted to clear up the confusion over his fitness issues after being included in England’s provisional Euros squad on May 21 – four days before missing the FA Cup final through injury.

‘No one knows the situation, what’s been happening,’ the defender added. ‘I think people have seen that there was a setback, but I was actually very close to returning to team training.

‘I was, of course, pushing to try and get back for the games and the final and I think I pushed too hard. I came back too quick and I actually ended up getting another injury in my hamstring, which was three weeks from the final and they said it was a six-week injury, so that’s why there was that setback.

‘I think people have been getting confused with what’s actually happened because nothing had been said.

‘I got a few people coming up to me, saying: “How can you not be fit for United but fit for England?” But the circumstances were that I did push to do everything I can to be fit for United, and that’s been really my whole season.

‘It’s been disappointing for me, but I want to do everything I can, first and foremost, for United.  It’s better for me to come out and say what happened, because I think there were a lot of questions over how I could be here and not United.

‘That’s been playing on my mind a little bit because I don’t want people thinking that that’s what I’m doing.’

Discussing his current fitness levels and the chances of making England’s opening Euro 2024 game against Serbia, Shaw said: ‘We just go day by day, see how I’m feeling in training.

‘I would love to make the first game, but I don’t want to rush too quickly because realistically I’ve only got one chance. If I feel something, then that’s it. I don’t want that to happen.’

After kick-starting their Euros campaign against Serbia, England face Denmark and Slovenia as they look to top Group C and make the knockout stages.

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