Luke Shaw says memory of grandmother is inspiring him to succeed at #Qatar2022 . Bereavement came on eve of 1st England game & #ENG 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 boss Southgate offered 27yo time off. But #MUFC left-back says he has grieved + full focus is on #FIFAWorldCup

Luke Shaw has said the memory of his late grandmother is motivating him to play well at the 2022 World Cup after she passed away shortly before England’s opening match of the tournament.

Manchester United full-back Shaw, 27, has started all three of England’s matches at the Qatar World Cup, helping his side to keep consecutive clean sheets after they opened their campaign with a 6-2 win over Iran.

And, after England’s 3-0 win over Wales on Tuesday, Shaw said his grandmother died shortly before the tournament, but he decided to remain in Qatar with the support of manager Gareth Southgate.

“My Nan sadly passed away before (the tournament),” Shaw told The Athletic. “She had cancer for a long while and unfortunately she passed away just before the first game.

“But of course Gareth was really good with me, spoke to me and said: Is everything ok?’ If I need to have time away just focus on that. But I’m here, this World Cup means so much to me and I didn’t want to miss anything.”

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Shaw added that his late grandmother played an important role in his career, as he turned professional at Southampton before moving to Manchester United in 2014.

Asked if he if using her memory as a source of motivation in Qatar, he said “She was a really important part of my childhood. I spent a lot of time with her.

“Unfortunately … she had cancer for a long while and suffered a lot, so it had been a long thing. But I’ve had time to grieve and fully focus on the World Cup.”

Shaw, 27, has started all three of England’s matches at the Qatar World Cup, helping his side to keep consecutive clean sheets after they opened their campaign with a 6-2 win over Iran.

England topped Group B on Tuesday with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over local rivals Wales.

Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden celebrated their first starts at the tournament by scoring the goals that sent England through to the knockout stage of the tournament.

England will play against Senegal in the round of 16 on Sunday. Wales return home after picking up just a solitary point at their first appearance at a World Cup since 1958.

Wales remain without a win at a FIFA World Cup.