In a recent interview (via Manchester Evening News), Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer issued a worrying update on Luke Shaw’s injury when he revealed that the player has picked up a serious hamstring problem during the 3-1 win over Everton on Saturday. The Red Devils boss also addressed Mason Greenwood’s absence at Goodison Park and said, “Mason wasn’t feeling well last night.
“He reported not well and couldn’t travel. Luke is his hamstring, it could be a long one.”
Shaw’s Impressive Start To This Campaign
The 25-year-old has made a solid start to this campaign as he has already put in a couple of productive displays on the left side of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s defence. The English talent has participated in ten matches for Man United this season, picking up two assists and two yellow cards in the process across all fronts.
Shaw has been a regular starter in Solskjaer’s first-team this term but has looked far from convincing when defending inside his half as he can sometimes be caught out of position due to his eagerness to get forward.
Despite his lacklustre form in defence, he deserves a lot of credit for averaging 1.7 tackles, 1.2 interceptions, 1.7 clearances, 1.2 key passes and 1.3 dribbles per 90 minutes in the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League this season. The ex-Southampton full-back has even distributed possession relatively well after making 82.6% of his attempted passes in both those competitions (stats via whoscored).
What Does The England International Bring To The Table?
Shaw has decent pace under his belt and has even got the engine to make a few lung-bursting runs down the left-wing. Standing at 1.85m, he can use his frame to win some 50-50 aerial duels and is also an excellent crosser of the ball. However, the eight-time England international is prone to making mistakes at the back. He also needs to add more goals to his game if he wants to break into the world-class bracket someday.
Shaw Suffers A Hamstring Injury: Huge Blow For Solskjaer?
This latest development of Shaw picking up a hamstring injury versus the Toffees will be a massive blow for the Red Devils as he has been a regular feature for them so far this season. Even though both Axel Tuanzebe and Brandon Williams can do a good job at left-back, yet they are not experienced enough to play at a high-level week in week out.
Plus, Shaw is far more attack-minded than either of those two players, so he will be a big miss for Man United after the international break when they face some tricky matches against the likes of West Bromwich Albion, Istanbul Basaksehir and Southampton respectively. The English left-back’s poor injury history also raises some concerns over his long-term fitness at Old Trafford. Only time will tell whether the Mancunian giants can cope with Shaw’s absence as the fixtures come thick and fast in the Premier League this winter.
