United confirm crucial defender will be sidelined ‘for a few months’ after sustaining muscle injury

Manchester United have tonight shared an update regarding Luke Shaw’s condition.

Supporters were anticipating further clarification on the defender’s availability after he was withdrawn around the halfway stage in his past two outings (Aston Villa and Luton Town), being replaced by Victor Lindelof in both.

Now, he is expected to be out of action ‘for a few months’ with a muscle injury. Given the timing of the layoff, it seems highly likely that he’s played his last match of the 2023/2024 campaign.

ℹ️ @LukeShaw23 has sustained a muscle injury and will be out for an extended period.#MUFC

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) February 21, 2024

The England international missed 10 Premier League matches at the beginning of the season through a muscle complaint and three over Christmas. His hopes of making Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad are now in serious jeopardy, and he played such a vital role for the Three Lions when they reached the final in 2021.

No left-backs available

It leaves Erik ten Hag considerably short on options as there are no fit left-backs to fill the void left by Shaw; Tyrell Malacia has been sidelined for the entire season so far with a knee injury and while there is no timeframe on his return, the club did announce back in December that he’d suffered a setback in his rehabilitation.

As well as that, Sergio Reguilon’s loan was cut short in January and youth prospect Alvaro Fernandez departed for Benfica on a temporary deal the same month. Responsibility will now fall onto Lindelof, Sofyan Amrabat and perhaps Diogo Dalot when Aaron Wan-Bissaka is back in the fold.