England U19s striker Sam Gallagher says he feels inspired by the progress his Southampton team-mate Luke Shaw has made, and is using his friend’s achievements as a motivation tool for next season.
Gallagher is currently with the U19s squad staying and training at St. George’s Park as they take part in the Elite Qualifying Round for the UEFA European U19 Championship at Burton and Walsall.
Meanwhile, the senior team arrived at the National Football Centre on Monday evening to begin their own preparation period ahead of the World Cup, and Gallagher admitted having so many familiar faces around has made the experience even more enjoyable.
Ukraine v England
UEFA European U19 Championship
Elite Qualifying Round
3pm, Thursday 29 May
Pirelli Stadium, Burton
Tickets £3 adults, £1.50 concessions
"It was great seeing Luke [Shaw] the other night," he said. "I haven’t seen Adam [Lallana] or Rickie [Lambert] yet but it’s good knowing that they’re just a few pitches over preparing for the World Cup.
"What’s happened to Luke should be an inspiration to us all. He’s in our age group and could be playing for the U19s – but it just goes to show that if you’re good enough then you’re old enough.
"It’s really encouraging to see first-hand what’s happened to him – first of all at international level but also at club level. Luke’s played pretty much every game this season and it just shows what can happen in a relatively short period of time if you perform."
The 2013-14 campaign has also been quite a season for Gallagher – after making both his Premier League and England debuts.
He went on to make 20 first-team appearances in all competitions – and he found the net in the Premier League for the first time in March in the club’s 4-2 victory over Norwich City.
Gallagher wheels away in celebration after scoring his first Premier League goal
"I’m definitely ahead of where I thought I would be this time last season," he added. "It’s been a fantastic season for me personally. I played in a lot of games in the Premier League and got my first goal in the division for the club, so that was very pleasing."
Next up for Gallagher and the U19s is a group decider against Ukraine on Thursday – and the 18-year-old knows it is winner-takes-all when the nations take to the field at Burton’s Pirelli Stadium, and warned it would not be easy.
"Looking at their previous results just shows that they can score goals – like we did against Montenegro – and their game against Scotland was similar to ours," he added.
"We’re expecting a good game, but it will be a tough game too. We’ve done a lot of work in training and done a lot of analysis on their team – so we know what we have to do to get through."
Following their victories against Montenegro and Scotland, the Young Lions currently sit top of Group 1 – but with only group winners qualifying any slips ups against Ukraine would end the U19s quest for Euro glory.
All about Sam
- Favourite film: Blood Diamond
- Sport other than football: Golf
- Most important person in your career: My Dad
- TV show: Prison Break
- Music on the way to games: House music
Falling at the penultimate hurdle is not something Gallagher is even considering, not least because Euro 2014 also acts a qualifying mechanism for the FIFA U20 World Cup in New Zealand.
"To represent England at a European Championship would be absolutely amazing – no matter what age group," he said.
"The U20s World Cup is in the backs of all our minds and there is talk about it.
"I know it’s important to take one step at a time and focus on beating Ukraine and qualifying for the Finals.
"Equally you have to have long-term goals and targets as well so there is some talk of it. But we know the first step is taking care of the game against Ukraine and we’re all focused on that."
