Gareth Southgate will risk angering Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur by naming Luke Shaw and Harry Kane on Wednesday morning in the England Under-21 squad for the European Championships despite each club preferring that their player be rested this summer. It is a decision that could put the Football Association on a collision course with the two clubs.
Louis van Gaal, the United manager, and his Tottenham counterpart, Mauricio Pochettino, have both voiced disquiet at the potential burn-out of Shaw and Kane respectively. Yet Southgate wants the left-back and striker to be in his squad for the finals, which start on 17 June in the Czech Republic. Preparation for the tournament also includes a warm-up game against Belarus in Barnsley six days before.
Southgate will not select Raheem Sterling, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jack Wilshere, Phil Jones or Ross Barkley in the squad when he announces it on Wednesday at St George’s Park, the national football centre. The coach will name a 30-man long list that is to be reduced to 23. Southgate believes that, as these players are now senior internationals, their development would not be helped by dropping back to the U21s. None of them has featured in the qualifiers for Euro 2015 apart from Sterling and that was in the early phase of the campaign. His last appearance for the U21s was 18 months ago, in the 9-0 defeat of San Marino.
The FA had been in discussions with United over Shaw’s availability for the tournament but these have failed to change Van Gaal’s view that the 19-year-old should be allowed to recuperate in the close season. There has also been continuing dialogue with Tottenham regarding Kane, whose 20 Premier League goals this season make the 21-year-old the highest-scoring English striker.
Van Gaal believes Shaw requires time off following a difficult first season at United after his £30m transfer from Southampton last summer. Since the move Shaw has suffered nine different injuries, the first a hamstring pull before the start of the campaign and the latest the facial problem that ruled him out of Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Arsenal at Old Trafford. Because of this poor record of availability the club reiterated to the FA that Shaw should be able to have a break before a busy pre-season that includes United’s two-week tour of America, which starts in mid-July.
Last Friday Van Gaal made his view clear. Asked whether Shaw should feature for the U21s the manager said: “I don’t think so because, when he is not playing for United, he cannot play for other teams. He needs that rest, I think, because he has over-crossed his limits. He’s 19 years old. What do you expect? We have to protect him and I hope that the coach of the Under-21s is understanding for that reason.”
Pochettino joined the Dutchman in indicating Kane would benefit from not participating in the Euros, the manager stating that he could miss the start of next term with Spurs if he does so. “It is not easy but it is not about tiredness. It is about next season,” he said.
As there is not expected to be any surprise choice from Southgate in the squad this suggests the coach will not call up Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha. The winger, who has played twice for the senior team, won the last of his 13 caps in November 2013, a 3-0 win over Finland. Zaha has enjoyed a resurgence in form since rejoining Palace on loan from United last summer, where he had failed to establish himself, the move becoming permanent in the winter window. On Monday his Palace manager, Alan Pardew, said: “I’d love for him to get in the squad.”
Southgate is keen to keep faith with as many of the players as is practical who guided England to Euro 2015. He believes that they are good enough to be successful at a tournament that begins for his side with a group match against Portugal on 18 June, before Sweden are played on 21 June and Italy in the final game of the stage on 24 June.
