Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
Luke Shaw and Matthijs de Ligt were noticeable absentees from Manchester United’s training session on Wednesday morning.
Manchester United are preparing to face Sabah FK in their Champions League opener on Thursday night.
After taking four points from the first three Premier League matches of the season, United are looking to start their European campaign with a convincing win over the Azerbaijani outfit.
The press were invited to watch the first 15 minutes of training this morning when it emerged that both Luke Shaw and Matthijs de Ligt did not join the first-team group for training.
Michael Carrick and Jonny Evans watching training
Photo by Darren Staples / AFP via Getty Images
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Michael Carrick is managing workload for Luke Shaw and Matthijs de Ligt
It was confirmed on MUTV during United’s training session that Shaw and De Ligt were on a designated rest day.
This suggests Carrick is mindful of managing some of his injury-prone players.
The fact that this is happening three games into the season suggests that Carrick and his staff are taking many factors into account when preparing for games, with United competing in more competitions than they were when the former midfielder was appointed interim head coach in January.
While De Ligt has yet to return from an injury he sustained in November 2025, due to persistent back issues, the Netherlands international initially returned to light individual training on grass at Carrington in July.
De Ligt progressed back to team training in August, but he is not expected to return to action until after the September international break.
As for Shaw, it’s been a difficult start to the season, but he began to redeem himself with a stunning assist for Benjamin Sesko in United’s 2-2 draw against Everton on Sunday.
It’s worth noting that two fixtures in one week may be too much for Shaw, who looked at his most comfortable last season when United had fewer fixtures. For instance, United play Sabah three days before the Manchester derby.
Carrick is likely to be asked about this during his press conference later this afternoon.
⚡️ KEY TAKEAWAYS
Luke Shaw and Matthijs de Ligt did not train with Manchester United’s first team group on Wednesday
Both players were on a designated rest day
Michael Carrick is managing the workload on some of his injury-prone players
Luke Shaw’s record in the Champions League
Excluding the two Champions League qualifying matches Shaw played after joining United from Southampton, the experienced left-back has made just 21 appearances in the competition.
The main reason for the low number of appearances has been United’s failure to qualify for Europe’s biggest competition on a consistent basis since Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013.
Shaw will want to add to his Champions League appearances this season, starting on Thursday night against Azerbaijani champions Sabah FK.
The England international has four assists in the Champions League.