Manchester United defender Luke Shaw could miss England’s UEFA Nations League games later this month as a result of a foot injury, according to Samuel Luckhurst of Manchester Evening News.
The lowdown
The 27-year-old hasn’t played for United since the first half of the 4-0 defeat against Brentford in August.
Tyrell Malacia dislodged him from the starting line-up for the subsequent Premier League games against Liverpool, Southampton and Arsenal, but Shaw was missing from the squad entirely against both Leicester City and Real Sociedad earlier this month.
The latest
Luckhurst took to Twitter to share the latest on Shaw ahead of United’s Europa League clash against Sheriff Tiraspol on Thursday, stating: “Shaw struggling with a foot injury that could affect his England chances”.
In the attached Manchester Evening News article, he reports that Erik ten Hag had hoped to start the 27-year-old against Real Sociedad, but the player wasn’t able to train the day before the match.
Shaw’s injury is apparently ‘minor’ but it could deny him a place in the final England squad before the World Cup, with Gareth Southgate due to his name his upcoming Nations League roster on Thursday.
The verdict
With Brandon Williams also out injured, Ten Hag may now be sweating over his left-back options.
When called upon, the manager knows that Shaw can be an important player for United in a creative sense.
Over the last 12 months, the former Southampton ace ranks in the 91st percentile among fellow full-backs in Europe’s top five leagues for assists per 90 and the 82nd percentile for progressive passes per 90 (via FBRef), a telling indicator of his attacking threat from left-back.
Frank Lampard has called the £150,000-per-week defender a ‘machine’, while Rio Ferdinand says that Shaw is capable of ‘beautiful deliveries’ when he gets forward (via The Hard Tackle).
Hopefully United fans will soon get to see the 27-year-old back in action, particularly given his chequered injury record during his time at the club.
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