Luke Shaw believes the way Wales celebrated England’s elimination from Euro 2016 will add extra motivation to their World Cup clash on Tuesday.
The Manchester United left-back added a dig at Wales by suggesting that Gareth Southgate’s group of players are too respectful to follow suit with such behaviour.
In their last game of the group stages, the neighbouring nations will go head-to-head at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium. England go into the game as favourites as Wales are on the brink of elimination.
It would take an almighty shock for Wales to qualify for the last 16 – and send England home with their tails between their legs.
The Three Lions will remember a clip that surfaced six years ago showing Wales players cheering Iceland’s shock win over England at Euro 2016. Shaw wasn’t in the squad at the time due to suffering a broken leg – but he has not forgotten the video and it will be used as a motivational tool for Southgate’s team tomorrow.
Shaw stresses that the current England team would not behave in such a way by celebrating another nation’s loss.
“I think we are a respectful group,” Shaw said, as per The Guardian. “We do things in the right way. That’s the example Gareth wants to set. We are fully behind that. We are fully respectful. That’s the way Gareth sets us out to be.”
He added that it will give the players motivation to get the job done against Wales.
“I think you could say that. But our motivation in itself has to be at its highest level. We are at the World Cup. We have great aims for what we want to achieve.
“We have to have the maximum motivation at every game. I don’t think there’s any more motivation than what we have already. We have to have 100% motivation in every training session and every game that we have.
“It wasn’t nice. I don’t want to dwell too much on that. I want to focus on what we do on the pitch. We can say things in interviews and I’d rather do our talking on the pitch, rather than off it.”
