Shaw ignoring comparisons with Cole
It looks a straight shoot-out between the Southampton teenager and the experienced Chelsea defender for the 23-man squad heading to Brazil, as Everton left-back Leighton Baines appears all but assured to be included.
Shaw made his England debut as a half-time replacement for boyhood idol Cole in Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Denmark, putting in an impressive display before returning to club matters this weekend.
The 18-year-old produced another sturdy performance in Saints’ 1-0 win at Crystal Palace, after which he revealed Hodgson had spoken to him about the Cole comparisons.
“I try to ignore that sort of stuff, the media attention, as obviously it is going to happen,” Shaw said. “I spoke with Roy about it and he said that ‘there is nothing you can do about it, this stuff is going to happen’. I am going to keep pushing myself and see what happens at the end of the season.”
Saturday’s match at Selhurst Park gave ninth-placed Southampton an 11-point cushion over nearest rivals West Ham, while it saw Palace slip closer to the drop zone. Sunderland await next weekend before they take on Newcastle – matches during which Eagles boss Tony Pulis knows his side need to show mental strength.
“The most important thing is that you stay really focused,” he said. “The lads are very, very disappointed because they’ve worked very hard and got nothing out of it, but that’s the Premier League for you. They’ve got to understand you’ve got to concentrate for 90 minutes to get those results.”
NORWICH: Ruddy, Martin, Yobo, Bassong, Olsson, Snodgrass, Tettey (Hooper 81), Johnson, Redmond, Hoolahan (Howson 67), van Wolfswinkel (Elmander 80).
Subs not used: Whittaker, Pilkington, Bunn, Becchio.
STOKE: Begovic, Cameron, Shawcross, Wilson, Pieters, Nzonzi, Whelan, Odemwingie (Guidetti 63), Walters, Arnautovic (Etherington 74), Crouch, Guidetti (Ireland 80).
Subs not used: Muniesa, Palacios, Wilkinson, Sorensen.
Att: 26,646
Ref: Andre Marriner (W Midlands).
