England manager Gareth Southgate is considering playing Luke Shaw in central defence against Croatia on Sunday – with another three full-backs also being considered in a 3-4-3 formation.
The Three Lions begin their Euro 2020 campaign this weekend and star defender Harry Maguire is set to miss out through injury.
Southgate has to rejig his planning as a result and The Telegraph have revealed it could see Shaw move into an unfamiliar position.
It means Shaw could play on the left of a three, with Manchester City duo Kyle Walker and John Stones on the right and through the middle respectively.
Exclusive: Gareth Southgate could start four full-backs in Euro 2021 opener with Luke Shaw at centre-back https://t.co/ksBRjoC3vj
— Telegraph Football (@TeleFootball) June 9, 2021
Shaw has played his way back into the England set-up after a great season at Manchester United.
Walker, meanwhile, played as a central defender at the 2018 World Cup to great success.
Ben Chilwell would be the likely candidate at left wing-back and on the right would be one of Reece James or Kieran Trippier.
Other central defenders Southgate has selected in his final squad are Conor Coady, Tyrone Mings and Ben White.
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| How Southgate’s England could look. |
The 50-year-old shocked fans by naming four right-backs in his initial squad, before Trent Alexander-Arnold was forced to pull out with a thigh injury.
Coady discussed the number of defenders in the team and he claims Southgate values their versatility above all else.
Wolves’ captain said: “We’re ready for whatever the manager wants to go with. There are world-class players who play in different ways for their clubs, different ways we try to bring together. Whatever way the manager wants to move forward it is fine by us.
“We have different styles of play and you can say that about the attack and midfield, we come from different clubs and play in different ways and come here to adapt as much as possible which we’ve done in the last week, we’re working hard in training every day for that.
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“As defenders we know we’re here to be relied on and here to help as much as possible. All that bothers us is trying to help the team move forward and have a good tournament.”
Since the World Cup, England have mainly stuck with back four formations.
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