Luke Shaw is set to miss the rest of the season with a hamstring injury and faces a race against the clock to prove his fitness before the European Championship.
The Manchester United full-back, 28, was substituted two minutes into the second half of the win over Luton Town at the weekend and, after undergoing tests to determine the extent of the problem, is expected to miss three months of action to recover.
Erik ten Hag will be planning on missing him for the rest of the campaign, with United’s campaign finishing on May 19 against Brighton on the final day of the Premier League unless they make it to the FA Cup final.
Shaw, when fit, is in Gareth Southgate’s plans for the Euros and the England manager will be anxiously waiting for fitness updates. With squads reduced to 23 players, rather than 26, he is less inclined to take risks on players who need time to recover during the group stage of the tournament.
The injury is a blow to Shaw after he was injured in the second match of the season and was out for three months with a muscle problem. He was also absent for games over the Christmas period.
But because he was returning to Ten Hag’s team, United chose to send Sergio Reguilón back from his loan as he was not needed for cover. Reguilón has since moved to Brentford on loan, while Ten Hag is short of options at left-back. Tyrell Malacia has not played this season through injury, with Diogo Dalot or Victor Lindelof used at left-back recently.
For England, Southgate has Ben Chilwell back fit to compete for a place in his squad, while Kieran Trippier has played on the left and Levi Colwill has been used there for Chelsea, earning him a call-up this season.
