Man Utd have had to cope without one of their most important players so far this season.
It is 11 years since Luke Shaw moved to Manchester, and there have been many times when it looked like his time at the club would come to an end. Love him or loathe him, he has held on and continued to prove his worth under several different managers. His latest renaissance is further proof of that.
With a fully fit squad, Shaw would simply be a supplementary option and might not have made many appearances this season. Instead, he has been undroppable. He has played the fourth-highest minutes of any United player this campaign and started every single Premier League match they have played.
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It is a far cry from the Shaw of old, who drew huge criticism from some United fans when the only start he managed between February 2024 and April 2025 was in the European Championship final defeat to Spain. For now, those injury issues are behind him, and the experienced defender is justifying the lavish praise heaped on him by Ruben Amorim earlier this year.
"Luke Shaw is a world-class player," said Amorim in the summer. "That is my feeling. You can feel it in the small things; when he touches the ball, the ability to play one against one.
"England had two finals. He had issues during the season, but in the final, he is always there. That means something. But he needs to be fit. He needs to train at the limit, which is what he is doing at the moment. He is a great player and I am really pleased with him."
Whether he is world-class or not, Shaw could soon be back on the bench again. Martinez is the favoured option in the left centre-back role and is expected to return to the starting line up when he is deemed fit enough to do so on a regular basis. United will not rush the Argentine back after such a hefty lay-off, though there is hope he will return to action before the November international break.
That means there might only be three or four matches left for Shaw to stake his claim in the starting line up, though he has already proved that he is the most suitable replacement on the left side of a back three. Given his own injury issues, that might be the best role for him going forward, but it would be foolish to suggest he would be happy with back-up duty when he has found his match rhythm again.
Shaw could prove to be the next victim of the reduced fixture schedule, not only due to the failure to secure European qualification, but also because of the Carabao Cup exit to Grimsby Town, in which he was actually given the night off. It will be tough for Amorim to manage minutes in the second-half of the season, even more so those in defensive positions that would be beneficial to keep the same throughout a match.
What that means beyond this season remains to be seen, but in his latest audition, he has proved himself capable of playing regular football at Premier League level again. That in itself is a huge success, given the position he was in a year ago.
Martinez might be expected to reclaim his starting spot next month, though the fact it isn't certain is a huge testament to Shaw.
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