According to a recent report by talkSPORT, Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw is sidelined for four weeks after injuring his hamstring during his team’s 2-1 defeat at home to Crystal Palace last weekend. The Red Devils full-back had scans which revealed that his injury was more serious than first presumed and so the English talent could be out of action for around a month (via talkSPORT).
Shaw’s Injury-Ridden Career At Old Trafford
Shaw has already made three appearances for the Red Devils so far this season and put in a brilliant display against Chelsea in the opening weekend of this Premier League campaign. However, his spell at Old Trafford has been plagued with injuries since he sealed a move from Southampton in the summer transfer window of 2014.
The 24-year-old has featured in 109 matches for the Mancunian giants, scoring one goal while grabbing eight assists across all competitions. The English prospect made an average of 1.9 tackles, 0.7 interceptions and 2.8 clearances per game in the top tier of England last season (stats via whoscored).
Shaw has also earned eight international caps for England so far but is yet to open his goal-scoring account for the Three Lions.
What Does The English Left-Back Add To Solskjaer’s Team?
The English defensive ace is moderately paced and can make some driving runs down the left flank. He loves to link-up play with others around him and can deliver some telling crosses from the wide areas into the opposition penalty box. However, Shaw needs to be more productive if he wants to unlock his true potential at Old Trafford someday.
Shaw’s Injury Absence: Huge Blow For Ole?
His poor injury record has raised some concerns over his fitness. One can argue whether he has what it takes to cope with the physical toll and high intensity of Premier League football. Either way, Shaw’s latest injury setback will be a massive blow for the Red Devils as they will now be forced to play Ashley Young at left-back who can be a bit vulnerable in defence.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would now hope that his players can cope with Shaw’s absence even though things have taken a turn for the worse for them in the English top-flight of late.
With important fixtures coming up against Southampton, Leicester City and West Ham United over the next four weeks, the Red Devils should still have enough in their squad to emerge victorious in all of those matches before Shaw’s estimated return next month.
