Manchester United have been handed a late fitness concern ahead of their first Manchester derby of the season, with Luke Shaw facing a race to be ready for Sunday’s meeting with Manchester City.
The left-back missed United’s Champions League victory over Sabah in midweek after the club decided against taking a risk with him. Luke Shaw had also been absent from training before the game, adding some uncertainty over his availability for the derby.
Michael Carrick confirmed that United will assess the defender over the next few days.
“We’ll have to see,” the manager said about the left-back. “We looked after him a little bit going into tonight. He wasn’t quite ready for it, 100 per cent, so we didn’t risk it. But we’ll see how he is over the next couple of days or so.”
Dorgu ready if Luke Shaw misses out
Shaw’s potential absence would leave Carrick with another decision to make at the back. Matthijs de Ligt, Amad, Carlos Baleba and Manuel Ugarte are already expected to miss the derby.
If Luke Shaw is not considered ready, Patrick Dorgu looks the most likely option at left-back. Carrick has generally used the Denmark international further forward, but he showed he can handle defensive duties during the 4-0 win over Sabah.
Dorgu was particularly impressive against the Azerbaijani side and registered an assist, giving Carrick a decent option should Luke Shaw fail to recover in time.
Manchester United will not want to take unnecessary risks with Shaw given his injury history, despite the defender enjoying a full Premier League campaign last season.
The final decision is likely to come closer to kick-off.
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