EXCLUSIVE: Alan Smith Pinpoints “Michael Carrick’s Biggest Area Of Concern” Following Man Utd Injury Scare
Sky Sports commentator Alan Smith says Luke Shaw’s recent injury scare highlights the lack of depth Man Utd have in their backline.
Ahead of the Everton game, it was reported that the defender was suffering with a muscular problem. He played the full 90 minutes at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, but he missed training on Wednesday, leading to speculation that he isn’t fit. Speaking exclusively to Man U News (courtesy of Best Betting Sites UK), Smith said that the Red Devils should be worried about their defensive frailties:
“In terms of depth options, obviously, we’ve spoken a lot about the left-back position. Luke Shaw nearly didn’t make it at the weekend. So perhaps that would be Michael Carrick’s biggest area of concern.
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“I mean, a couple of worldies by Everton weren’t there to get the two goals. But yeah, probably United’s is more work to do [in terms of improving their defence], put it that way.”
Carrick has played down concerns about Shaw
Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Champions League fixture against Sabah FK, head coach Michael Carrick said that the left-back’s absence from training was expected:
“We just gave him an extra recovery day today. We’ll see by tomorrow how he is, but it’s not an ongoing thing or a plan or anything like that.”
It seems unlikely that Shaw will face Sabah, especially with the Manchester derby coming up at the weekend. Noussair Mazraoui could deputise at left-back.
Could Man Utd sign a free agent as cover?
The Red Devils opted against recruiting a left-back in the summer, which seems like a poor decision in hindsight, especially as Shaw’s injury record (barring last season) has not been great.
Director of Football Jason Wilcox could consider signing a free agent, but the options are sparse. Former Manchester City and Arsenal defender Oleksandr Zinchenko is available, but his recent fitness record is worse than Shaw’s. Ex-Bayern Munich player Raphael Guerreiro is another possibility, but the 32-year-old spent half of his time playing as an attacking midfielder last campaign.