Luke Shaw: Manchester United defender has suffered injury setback

Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw has suffered an injury setback.

Shaw, who sustained a calf injury days before the start of the Premier League season, is yet to feature for United this season.

The 29-year-old was expected to return from injury after the September international break. However, when that comeback was delayed, Shaw’s potential return date was changed to after the October international break.

However, the England international remains sidelined, and speaking after Man Utd’s defeat to West Ham on Sunday, then United boss Erik ten Hag revealed that Shaw’s recovery was not going to plan and “the wrong process” had led to a setback.

“The process is not going as we expected, that’s the truth,” said Ten Hag, who was sacked by Man Utd on Monday.

“The setback – if you want to call it like this – but we want to do it very careful because when he is now dropping again we have made the wrong process.

“So we want to be very careful. We know his past. We have to do this right because we want him to be available because he will have a big impact on our performances and also on our levels.

“We can’t have it that he is playing for some games and then drops out again. So we do it very careful.”

United – who face Leicester in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, live on Sky Sports+ – currently have seven players out through injury and Ten Hag said last Friday that those absences were holding back his Man Utd.

They were plagued by injuries last season and the recurrence of the problem led Ten Hag to call on the whole club to find solutions.

“Yeah, [the injuries] holds us back in our levels. And also in our position in the league,” said Ten Hag last week.

“When you don’t have the players available you can’t line up the best team and that is what’s holding us back in this moment and we need more players more often available.

“We have to work all together on this point, players, coaching staff, all the other staff, we have to do better to get more available players. Because we know when we have them we are a really tough team to play and can be really successful, which is what we have shown over the last couple of months.”

Ruud van Nistelrooy will take charge of the team as interim head coach, starting against Leicester, while a permanent head coach is recruited.