Erik ten Hag explains team selection as Luke Shaw starts vs Luton Town

Erik ten Hag has named his side to face Luton Town on Sunday afternoon, with the Dutchman shocking supporters by naming Luke Shaw in the team.

Shaw was brought off at half-time against Aston Villa last weekend and although the manager did confirm that his withdrawal was precautionary, there was a feeling that Shaw would not recover in time for the trip to Luton.

His inclusion in the side is a huge boost to Ten Hag, who has dealt with numerous losses to injuries this season and Shaw remains one of the most important players in the side.

That means Ten Hag has named an unchanged side from the team that won at Aston Villa last week. Speaking ahead of the game, the boss has previewed the game and touched on Shaw’s inclusion in this week’s side.

“We have to go from game to game and with every game it’s a final for us, because we have to catch up,” Ten Hag told Sky Sports, as per the official Manchester United website. “We are still in this position, we have to play better. We’ve improved recently so we have to keep this process going.

“He (McTominay) deserves to play but I can’t line up 12. Definitely he’s always in my mind during the week how can we put him in the starting XI, so definitely it’s a hard choice but I think as you know he’s very good from the bench. I know what a player will say and he will not like it every time being brought off the bench.

“We took him off as a precaution against Villa at half-time. We built him up again during the week. It was not certain on Thursday at the press conference that he could play but he’s fine, good improvement., When he’s fit he has to play because definitely he will contribute to our levels in the game.”

Victory over Luton would mean United have made real headway in their bid to return to the Champions League conversation, with Tottenham’s defeat to Wolves over the weekend meaning just six points separate the two sides, with United having played one game fewer.

Five points would separate United and fourth-placed Aston Villa in the event of a win at Luton.