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Shaw injury puts United manager on the defensive
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MANCHESTER United fans were already concerned about their side’s lack of goalscorers but Luke Shaw’s horrific leg break, and likely six-month absence now has them worrying about the defense as well.
The England left back suffered a double fracture of his right leg in Tuesday’s 1-2 Champions League defeat at PSV Eindhoven after a scything tackle in the box by Mexican Hector Moreno.
The game was stopped for eight minutes while medical staff attended to Shaw, who was carried off on a stretcher with an oxygen mask on his face.
United said in an update yesterday that Shaw had surgery immediately after the match at the St Anna Hospital in Geldrop and would remain in Eindhoven to continue his recovery.
Moreno, who broke his leg playing for Mexico against United manager Louis van Gaal’s Netherlands at the 2014 World Cup and sent a message of support to Shaw via Twitter, went unpunished.
“It is very bad and sad for him, but also for our team,” said Van Gaal, who replaced Shaw with Argentine Marcos Rojo. “I’m not a doctor so I cannot say but when you have a double fracture it is four to six months... I hope he will play again this season.”
Shaw had been in top form for club and country after a difficult first year at Old Trafford following his 30-million pound (US$46.27 million) plus move from Southampton.
He had started all of United’s eight games as well as playing in the Euro 2016 qualifiers against San Marino and Switzerland, with England manager Roy Hodgson seeing him as a stalwart in the same fashion as Ashley Cole. His prolonged absence will be a blow for Hodgson, even if England’s place at next year’s finals in France is already secure, as it will for Van Gaal who had spoken last month of how important the player would be in his lineup.
“Luke is a big talent,” the Dutchman, whose side can no longer count on a dominant Rio Ferdinand or Nemanja Vidic-like figure in the heart of the defense, had declared. “I think this shall be the season of Luke Shaw — that I believe.”
Shaw had worked hard on his fitness, paying for a personal trainer to accompany him on holiday in Dubai, and had given United pace down the flank.
With Daley Blind and Chris Smalling in the center and Matteo Darmian on the right, United has looked solid in defense with fans more focused on where the goals might come from after the exit of Robin van Persie and Javier Hernandez.
Apart from Premier League leader Manchester City, which has kept clean sheets in winning its five domestic matches so far, United currently boasts the second best defensive record in the top tier along with Arsenal.
Despite that record, there has been concern that the lack of defensive reinforcements in the last transfer window has left United vulnerable to injury.
“He (Shaw) has played so well and been an integral part of this decent start by Manchester United because the back four has been settled,” former Liverpool defender Phil Thompson told Sky Sports yesterday.
Van Gaal will have to change that, with Rojo — who plays left back for Argentina — brought on in a central role at PSV while Blind moved to left back.
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