Bharath Rammr
Manchester United defender Luke Shaw now looks set to be the latest player to train on his own, as the England defender is targeting a quick return from the major injury setback he suffered in November reports Manchester Evening News.
Shaw, an expensive acquisition for Manchester United back in the summer of 2014, has been struggling with injuries throughout his time at the club. The 21-year-old has never managed to make more than 20 appearances in all competitions in a single campaign for the club; this incredible statistic makes the £30 million transfer fee paid to Southampton look even more expensive.
Shaw made his last appearance for United in the 4-1 win over West Ham in the EFL Cup before being injured. His presence in the first team has been stop and start over the last few months. It is not surprising considering that Jose Mourinho does not seem to have been impressed much by the youngster, so much so that he even questioned the commitment of Shaw along with Chris Smalling. Shaw has featured in six league matches so far this campaign.
The youngster, who is on a huge contract worth around £130,000-a-week (via Guardian), has made it a priority to return to the first-team action before the end of the year. It would also help solve some of the defensive crisis at United. Even though Eric Bailly has just returned to first team action after a long spell on the sidelines, he will immediately be departing the club in order to join up with Ivory Coast at the 2017 African Cup of Nations. In the absence of Shaw, Matteo Darmian has been used in the left back position with varying degrees of success.
In some of the games, the Italian international has looked reasonably good in this position even though it is not his natural place. However, there have been times when Darmian has been exposed too easily by the opposition and United could have ended up suffering as a result. Even though Mourinho admits that he has been left impressed by Darmian’s performances in the last few weeks, the 27-year-old is likely to be dropped in favour of Shaw once the England international returns.
The upcoming Christmas fixture schedule would be a great time for someone like Shaw to get back into action, as there are games coming thick and fast with United likely to rest a couple of key players in order to maintain freshness.
Manchester United are up against Sunderland on Boxing Day followed by another home match against another North-Eastern outfit, Middlesbrough. After having managed to 4 consecutive wins in all competitions, United will be extremely confident coming into the games.
