Manchester United revealed that they had suffered a major setback after Luke Shaw picked up another injury in their recent Premier League win at Luton Town, which could see him miss the rest of the campaign.
Romano reacts as Shaw picks up new injury
The United and England defender has had his fair share of issues since his record arrival at Old Trafford, and the latest appears to have occurred in their 2-1 win over Luton. It was the second game in a row that the 28-year-old had been removed midway through the game as Shaw was also forced off at half-time at Villa Park a week earlier, and was replaced by Victor Lindelof at left-back on both occasions.
A Manchester United statement first revealed that 'we expect him to be absent for a few months' after picking up a muscle injury, which has later been clarified as a hamstring issue.
It is the latest in a long line of injuries for the United boss, who also lost Lisandro Martinez for much of the remainder of the season last month. They are also without summer signing Mason Mount as well as striker Anthony Martial, both of whom remain sidelined.
Erik ten Hag is without second-choice left-back Tyrell Malacia too, who is yet to feature this season after picking up an injury of his own and who the club have not given a return timeframe. Fabrizio Romano's reaction to the latest update just about sums up the situation for United and their fans – it's "bad news".
Player
Issue
Potential Return date
Mason Mount
Calf
March
Anthony Martial
Groin
April
Tyrell Malacia
Unknown
March
Lisandro Martinez
Knee
April
Luke Shaw
Hamstring
May
Aaron Wan-Bissaka
Unknown
March
The loss of both of Ten Hag's left-footed defenders will come as a massive blow in the Red Devils' chase for Champions League football come the end of the campaign, with their win over Villa narrowing the gap to 5th place down to just three points. The United boss will have to find yet more inventive solutions to his defensive issues should the Red Devils be playing in Europe's Premier Competition next season, but he is not the only manager to suffer from Shaw's latest news.
Man Utd could have 21y/o Maguire successor who plays with “no fear”
The young centre half could have a big role to play next season.
ByTom Lever Southgate's England headache
Shaw now faces a race to be fit for England's EURO2024 campaign, which kicks off in Germany in June. His absence would leave Gareth Southgate scrambling for alternatives with Brentford fullback Rico Henry also having been sidelined for much of the season through injury and Chelsea's Ben Chilwell only just returning to full fitness after several injury issues of his own.
Another option could be to field Kieran Trippier on the left flank, something that the Three Lions boss has experimented with previously. Bukayo Saka has also filled in at wing-back but removing him from his best position is likely to cause more problems than it fixes, with the 21-year-old having scooped England's Player of the Year award two years running and playing a key role in spearheading Arsenal's title challenge in north London.
Alternatively, Southgate could recall either Kyle Walker-Peters or Tyrick Mitchell, both of whom have been in England squads since his arrival in 2016 but have slipped down the pecking order in recent months and years.
However, the news will come as a nasty blow to the Three Lions as they look to build upon widespread expectation and finally bring football home three years after their Wembley heartbreak at the hands of Italy.