Luke Shaw plays down World Cup prospects

Southampton defender Luke Shaw has moved to play down his chances of earning a place in England's World Cup squad this summer.

The 18-year-old made his Three Lions debut in the 1-0 victory over Denmark at Wembley on Wednesday, replacing Ashley Cole at half time to earn his first senior cap at international level.

Although admitting that the prospect of travelling to Brazil in June is not yet on his mind, the left-back hopes to maintain his impressive form for the Saints in a bid to give manager Roy Hodgson a "hard decision".

"I am not thinking about [the World Cup] yet," he told his club's official website. "Obviously I did play a part in that game but there are important games coming up for my club.

"Hopefully if I keep putting in good performances then Roy will have a hard decision to make."

Shaw has started 25 games for Southampton this season.