Michael Carrick has explained Luke Shaw being absent from Manchester United’s matchday squad for the Champions League clash with Sabah, with Patrick Chinazaekpere Dorgu brought into the starting XI.
Luke Shaw did not train in front of the cameras on Wednesday and was left out of the squad for Thursday’s game. The defender had been involved in United’s 2-2 draw with Everton, but came off during the match with a minor issue.
Michael Carrick confirmed there was no major concern behind the decision, with the club simply choosing not to take any risks.
“It’s a little bit of that [managing him],” Carrick told TNT Sports. “He came off the other day [at Everton] with a little bit of cramp. We didn’t want to take any risks really.”
“We’re expecting a big challenge tonight”
Michael Carrick shares his thoughts ahead of Manchester United’s return to the Champions League 💭
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Luke Shaw did travel with the squad to Old Trafford and will watch from the sidelines as Manchester United begin their Champions League campaign.
Dorgu gets chance to impress against Sabah
With Shaw unavailable, Patrick Dorgu gets another opportunity to impress, although the youngster has recently been used further forward rather than in his natural left-back position.
Carrick also made four changes to his starting XI, explaining that he wanted to freshen things up without disrupting the team too much.
“We wanted to change a little bit and freshen things a little bit, but try to get the balance right,” the United boss said.
He believes United still have plenty of attacking quality despite the changes, but felt making too many alterations would make the game more difficult for the players.
“Attacking-wise, we feel we’re really strong. I feel we’ve got a really good team, you know, and a good squad. We didn’t want to change too many.”
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