Luke Shaw

The Premier League, like almost every other league throughout Europe, is on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic, leaving Liverpool 25 points clear in pursuit of a first top-flight title in 30 years.

It was confirmed last week that the season will not resume in May, with no return date specified as the United Kingdom fights to contain the spread of the virus.

Dates are now available for club football to be played in June and July after Euro 2020 and the Copa America were postponed by a year.

However, Shaw believes the campaign should be scrapped if a way to restart cannot be found.

"Scrap it and start again," said Shaw, speaking on a Twitch stream of a FIFA 20 competition for Unicef's Combat Corona fundraiser.

"Start it again. If we can't carry it on, it's got to be void."

Liverpool need just six points to win the title, but they are not the only club who would miss out in the event of the season being expunged.

It would also prevent United from qualifying for the Champions League. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side are three points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea, but fifth would be enough to qualify if Manchester City's ban from the competition is upheld.

United were on an 11-game unbeaten run in all competitions when the season was suspended, with Shaw adding: "That's why we were disappointed, because we were really confident and results were going our way but the most important thing is the lives."

Shaw is not a fan of the idea of playing the remaining games behind closed doors, as United did in their Europa League game at LASK, their final outing before the postponement.

"Fans are so important, you realise it even more [now]," he added. "I think the sport is for fans really... I think if you don't have fans, and you don't play in front of fans, it just doesn't feel right.

"Especially on matchday, the fans are always amazing and always help the team. Whether it's home or even away, our fans are always brilliant and I feel like they're always there with us."

At the age of 19, Bellingham could be handed a prized England midfield berth in Gareth Southgate's starting XI at the Qatar finals.

The teenager's development at Dortmund has been so great he was handed the chance to captain the team last month, when Marco Reus and Mats Hummels were unavailable.

Having begun his career at Birmingham City, Bellingham has built on his early promise while in Germany, where he is flourishing in his third season.

Left-back Shaw, who scored for England in last year's European Championship final, has seen young players come and go during his England career.

"The one I've been most surprised about when he first got involved is Jude," said Shaw. "He's obviously still so young now, but the talent he possesses is unbelievable.

"He can do everything in that middle. He can drive with the ball, he can pass, he's aggressive. He's got everything. When I first saw him when he was first involved in the England squad, even then I thought, 'Wow, this guy is going to be so good, and he already looks like a man'.

"Over the past couple of years, being here in the squad with him, he's always had the talent, but he's starting to develop and gain experience.

"He's becoming more a man, when you look at him and his strength. He's captaining his club and I think it's showing, the steps that he's taking are leading him in the right direction."

Shaw, who plays his club football at Manchester United, told England's Lions' Den programme he sees Bellingham being prominent for England at many future tournaments.

"He'll be a very big part of this England squad for the success that we will have in the coming years," Shaw added.

England get their campaign under way against Iran on Monday, before facing further Group B games against the United States and Wales.

Bellingham's club-mate Kobel also sees the youngster as having the potential to be a roaring success for England over the coming month.

Asked whether Bellingham could be one of the stars of this World Cup, Kobel said: "For sure, he's an unbelievable talent. He has so much quality and I think his mind is also really strong.

"He always wants to get better, always wants to win the game, and even now at his young age he can have a lot of impact everywhere."

Shaw, who missed the last three months of the 2023-24 season, did not feature in any of England's first four matches.

However, after coming on as a substitute against Switzerland in the quarters and then again against the Netherlands in the semi-finals, the 29-year-old was included in Gareth Southgate's starting XI for Sunday's final.

Trippier, who had filled in on the left, has dropped to the bench. Shaw's inclusion was the only change for Southgate from the team that started against the Dutch, meaning the semi-final matchwinner Ollie Watkins had to settle for a place among the substitutes yet again.

It is the first time Shaw, who scored early on in the Euro 2020 final, which England lost on penalties to Italy, has started for the Three Lions in over a year.

There was two changes for Spain, with Luis de la Fuente bringing back Dani Carvajal after the full-back had served his one-match suspension following his red card in La Roja's quarter-final defeat of Germany. 

Jesus Navas, who will be retiring from international football after the tournament, made way for Carvajal. Likewise, Robin Le Normand came back from suspension to replace Nacho.

Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal, whose stunner dragged Spain level against France in the last four, were handed starts on the flanks, either side of Dani Olmo, who ahead of kick-off was one of six players tied on three goals in the race for the Golden Boot, along with Harry Kane, Jamal Musiala, Cody Gakpo, Ivan Schranz and Georges Mikautadze.

Yamal, at the age of 17 years and one day, is the youngest ever player to feature in a World Cup or European Championship final, surpassing Pele's record from the 1958 World Cup (17y 249d). 

This will be England’s first major tournament final played outside of England, with the 1966 World Cup and Euro 2020 finals being played at Wembley Stadium. The Three Lions have never lost a match in Berlin in six attempts (W4 D2), only playing more in Helsinki (eight), Amsterdam (seven) and Sunderland (seven) without ever suffering defeat.

Meanwhile, this is Spain's fifth European Championship final, with La Roja winning the trophy three times (1964, 2008, 2012) and losing once (1984). They could become the first team to win the competition on four separate occasions.

The 18-year-old forward joins in a reported €40million (£35.6m) transfer, signing a five-year contract to further expand Wolves' significant Portuguese contingent.

Executive chairman Jeff Shi confirmed his signing had come at the request of head coach Nuno Espirito Santo and it sees Wolves secure a talent strongly linked with Real Madrid and Liverpool in the past.

The deal makes Silva the seventh costliest teenager in history, and he joins illustrious company, as outlined below…

Kylian Mbappe: Monaco to Paris Saint-Germain - €180m

Likely to remain the world's most expensive teenage signing for some time, Kylian Mbappe is already well on the way to justifying the €180m outlay PSG made to prise him away from Monaco three years ago. Mbappe had fired Monaco to a shock Ligue 1 title triumph before departing and his goals have continued to flow in the French capital. Still just 21, Mbappe has arguably eclipsed team-mate Neymar already, while he has won a World Cup with France. Pele has acknowledged comparisons with the forward, who looks a certain Ballon d'Or winner in the near future. It would take a world-record fee to buy Mbappe, but he has hinted he could be open to leaving PSG.

Joao Felix: Benfica to Atletico Madrid - €126m

Potentially rivalling Mbappe for top individual honours in the years to come could be Joao Felix, who was tasked with replacing Antoine Griezmann at Atletico Madrid following his move to Barcelona. Joao Felix hit 20 goals in all competitions for Benfica in 2018-19, three of those strikes coming in the Europa League, to announce himself among the world's top talents. He endured a difficult first season in Spain, as he appeared to struggle with a new position, setup and philosophy under Diego Simeone's tutelage, but some promising flashes towards the end of the campaign suggested the player compared to Kaka could establish himself in 2020-21.

Matthijs de Ligt: Ajax to Juventus - €85.5m

Barcelona were linked with De Ligt, having already sealed a deal for club and country team-mate Frenkie de Jong, but the Ajax captain instead opted for Serie A. Much like Joao Felix at Atletico, De Ligt did not have the most convincing of debut seasons, despite Juve going on to win another Serie A title. Nevertheless, after a year bedding in, 2020-21 might see the Dutchman recapture his best form as he will likely become an even more central figure under Andrea Pirlo.

Anthony Martial: Monaco to Manchester United - €60m

Eyebrows were raised when United parted with €60m for Martial in 2015, with one British newspaper describing the deal as a "waste of money" in a back-page splash. While it might have taken him a while - after a blistering start - to properly establish himself, struggling particularly under Jose Mourinho, the Frenchman is beginning to make good on his potential at 24. With 17 goals in 32 Premier League games in 2019-20, Martial appeared to cement himself as Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first-choice centre-forward and formed a dynamic front three with Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood. He also earned a recall to the France squad, with 2020-21 looking like a season of endless possibilities for Martial.

Rodrygo Goes: Santos to Real Madrid - €45m

Real Madrid have been signing young talent in recent seasons in a departure from their Galactico-focused days, although the arrival of Eden Hazard did show they are still willing to splash out on ready-made superstars. Rodrygo Goes linked up with Zinedine Zidane's squad for 2019-20 having remained on loan with Santos after completing his initial transfer to the Spanish giants. The tricky forward showed plenty of promise in his first season and seemed to usurp Vinicius Junior in the pecking order at times. Madrid hope he can be their Neymar.

Vinicius Junior: Flamengo to Real Madrid - €45m

Rodrygo followed in the footsteps of fellow Brazilian Vinicius, who was a rare shining light for Madrid in 2018-19, scoring two LaLiga goals. In his second season, Vinicius was in and out of the team, but did enjoy a few stints of regular football. Flashy, flamboyant and difficult to tackle, Vinicius is a classic Brazilian wide player, though concerns about his end product remain despite having been at the club for a while now. Nevertheless, Vinicius could be Madrid's future along with Rodrygo.

Fabio Silva: Porto to Wolves - €40m

Silva became Porto's youngest-ever player in 2019 when he made his debut for the first-team less than a month after his 17th birthday – the previous record-holder was his new Wolves team-mate, Ruben Neves. The technically gifted forward, who has been suggested as the potential long-term heir to Cristiano Ronaldo, helped Porto to UEFA Youth League success in 2018-19 and has regularly caught the eye in Portugal's youth setup. Although he only scored three times in 20 appearances with Porto in 2019-20, Silva appears destined for a future at the top, with his technique and on-the-ball talents seemingly a good fit for Wolves' dynamic attacking options.

Luke Shaw: Southampton to Manchester United - €37.5m

Like Martial, Luke Shaw is another player who seems to have laboured under a large price tag at times. Shaw also had a fractious relationship with Mourinho but made the United left-back spot his own with 29 Premier League starts in 2018-19. The 24-year-old remained a regular last term, despite the emergence of Brandon Williams, and managed to stay relatively injury-free, but one rarely gets the impression his position in the squad is absolutely certain, particularly given his attacking output lacks in comparison to the world's best full-backs.

Wayne Rooney: Everton to Manchester United - €37m

Wayne Rooney certainly repaid his fee – he was British football's most expensive teenager – becoming United's all-time leading goalscorer and winning five Premier League titles at the club, as well as the 2007-08 Champions League. Rooney will go down as a United great despite affairs such as agitating for a move and falling out with Alex Ferguson. Rooney dropped out of favour in the latter years of his time at Old Trafford and was also sidelined for England, with a return to boyhood club Everton failing to spark. But joining MLS strugglers DC United was a clever move and Rooney helped inspire their rise. Now 34, he is back in England with Derby County.

Renato Sanches: Benfica to Bayern Munich - €35m

Bayern thought they were signing a player who would become one of the era's dominant midfielders when they snapped up Renato Sanches from Benfica, but the transfer did not work out at all. Bayern bought Sanches before he won Euro 2016 with Portugal but, four years later, that remains the highlight of his career. Sanches flopped in a loan spell with Swansea City in the Premier League and quickly appeared surplus to requirements at Bayern. He eventually secured a permanent move away last year when Die Roten recouped €25m for him - applaudable given his form - when selling him to Lille. But in France he seems to have found his feet again, enjoying a solid debut season and attracting interest from around Europe.

Southgate announced on Tuesday that he was stepping down as England manager following their heartbreaking Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain.

It was the second successive European Championships final under the 53-year-old since he took over from Sam Allardyce in September 2016.

He won 61 of his 102 matches in charge of the national team, while also leading them to the World Cup semi-finals and quarter-finals.

Kane was the most-used player during his tenure, making 81 of his 98 appearances under Southgate, who first gave the forward the captain's armband.

"Boss. Thank you for everything you have done for me and our country!" Kane said in a post on X.

"You have been one of England's greatest-ever managers, and it has been a pleasure to have served as your captain throughout. You helped our nation connect and believe in our team again.

"There have been so many highlights, and we've made memories together that will last forever! Good luck with your next chapter, and I'm sure we'll see each other around. Thanks Boss!"

Luke Shaw, who made 28 appearances under Southgate, including both Euros finals, also echoed the England captain's praise in his tribute to Southgate.

"Gareth, you put everything into this team and brought this nation together with so many amazing memories!" Shaw posted on Instagram.

"I will always be grateful for the highs and the lows because, no matter what, you kept us believing we could. You're one of the best there ever was! Thank you boss."

Former Inter boss Mourinho will return to Serie A in 2021-22 after being appointed by Roma following his Tottenham sacking in April.

Mourinho, who guided Inter to an unprecedented treble in 2009-10, replaces Paulo Fonseca in Rome, where the Giallorossi have not won a league title since 2001.

The Portuguese enjoyed stunning success at the start of his managerial career, winning seven league titles and two Champions Leagues in eight seasons across spells at Porto, Chelsea, Inter and Real Madrid. 

Since the start of the 2012-13 campaign, however, he has won just one league title – the Premier League with Chelsea in 2014-15. 

Indeed, Mourinho won only 51.2 per cent of his matches at Tottenham and left without lifting a single trophy.

In an extract from a new book called 'Stay Crazy and Hungry', reported in Marca, Mourinho thinks his early success contributed to a focus on winning which has not always served him well in recent years. 

"I've been a victim of myself and, if I could, it would be one of the things I wouldn't repeat," Mourinho said.

"I won, won and won and I entered into a kind of dynamic where not winning seemed like the end of the world.

"I, myself, because of my personality, made out that the training, the games and the job were all to win, win, win, and then, when I came to situations where it was very difficult to win, which for other coaches is something acceptable, in my case it was never enough.

"Not winning was a failure, but that isn't true."

Mourinho has publicly clashed with many of his players over his illustrious career, notably with Luke Shaw at Manchester United.

Mourinho managed Shaw at United from 2016 until he was sacked in 2018 and he was often critical of the left-back.

Shaw recently launched a scathing criticism of Mourinho and his "strange" personal agenda, with the England full-back insisting "clearly, I'm in his head".

The 58-year-old, however, seemingly has no regrets over his treatment of certain players. 

"I always tell the players that, with me, they'll find an honest guy," he added.

"They'll find a guy who will tell you the truth, the things you want to hear and also the things you don't.

"Some may say that I'm a bad coach, that I was a b*******, but no one can say that I wasn't serious or honest."

Shaw has been selected for Gareth Southgate's squad heading to Germany despite not having featured for club or country since February.

The 28-year-old went off injured while playing for Man United against Luton Town, a fixture that he has admitted was a mistake to play in.

"If the manager asks me to play, I'm never going to say 'no.' But I shouldn't have played," Shaw said.

"It's kind of everyone's fault. Partly my fault, partly the medical staff.

"I came back too quickly and I actually ended up getting another injury in my hamstring. I did push to do everything I can to be fit for United."

Shaw's inclusion has raised eyebrows, especially with his United club-mate Harry Maguire, who has not played since April due to injury, missing the cut.

When asked if he is likely to play in England's opener against Serbia on June 16, Shaw said: "That's not really down to me. 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."

England also face Denmark and Slovenia in their group at Euro 2024.

There are also first call-ups for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins and West Brom goalkeeper Sam Johnstone, who are the only uncapped players in the group.

Reece James, Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham have all been added after being left out of the Under-21 squad for the European Championship, along with Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka.

Bellingham was chosen despite concerns from Borussia Dortmund that he would be forced to quarantine upon his return to Germany.

Wolves defender Conor Coady keeps his place, as does Chelsea left-back Ben Chilwell, despite having recently struggled for game time under Thomas Tuchel.

Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse is selected but there is no place for Leeds United's Patrick Bamford, who had been tipped to earn a spot. Team-mate Kalvin Phillips, who made his debut last September, will be involved.

Gareth Southgate's side face San Marino on March 25 before a game with Albania three days later. They then take on Poland on March 31.

England squad:

Dean Henderson (Manchester United), Sam Johnstone (West Brom), Nick Pope (Burnley); Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Conor Coady (Wolves), Eric Dier (Tottenham), Reece James (Chelsea), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa), Luke Shaw (Manchester United), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Atletico Madrid), Kyle Walker (Manchester City); Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Jesse Lingard (West Ham), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Kalvin Phillips (Leeds United), Declan Rice (West Ham), James Ward-Prowse (Southampton); Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Raheem Sterling (Manchester City), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).