Luke Shaw made his first international appearance since September 2018 as England won 2-0 in Albania.
Here, the PA news agency takes a look at how the Manchester United left-back got on during Sunday’s World Cup qualifier.
Defensive output
Good to see you back, @LukeShaw23 💪 pic.twitter.com/3R5L75F6T7— England (@England) March 28, 2021
Gareth Southgate spoke about Shaw’s aggression in defending ahead of the match and how he stopped wide men from settling. The 25-year-old was certainly willing to press and wise to Albania’s threats in Tirana, where the full-back won every tackle he went in for. Shaw slotted into the back four well, helped by the presence of United team-mate Harry Maguire at centre-back.
Attacking output
A key part of Shaw’s game has been his ambition on the ball, driving forwards and creating chances for United. The Southampton academy graduate made a direct run down inside the opening minutes and was ready to attack on the left throughout. The sticky pitch did not help with free-flowing attacks but his quality on the ball was underlined by a superb first-time cross that set up Harry Kane for the opener.
Overall
Shaw played the full 90 minutes as he won his ninth cap and looked assured and energetic on his first international appearance since September 2018. The United left-back fell a little short of some of his recent club performances but this World Cup qualifier did not open up like a Premier League match. Southgate will certainly be happy to have Shaw competing with Ben Chilwell at left-back.
