Luke Shaw was spotted in full first-team training this morning as the Manchester United squad were put through their paces ahead of the final fixture of the Europa League group stage tomorrow night.
The Reds will travel to Romania to play FCSB – formerly FC Steaua București – with the club having already qualified for the knockout phase with 15 points from a possible 21 so far.
United, along with first place Lazio and ninth place Galatasaray, are the only sides in the competition yet to lose a match with Ruben Amorim’s team positioned 4th in the league table.
However, the top eight automatically qualify for the last-sixteen round, bypassing the first knockout stage completely.
A win tomorrow night would clinch this valuable finish for United, at a time when Amorim is desperate for as many extra training sessions, not extra matches, as possible, with the Portuguese coach continuing to mould his new team into his trademark 3-4-3 system.
One important player for this system, who Amorim has been unable to call upon consistently since he arrived from Sporting CP in November, is Shaw – United’s most experienced left-back.
United have struggled down the left-hand side of the pitch in Shaw’s absence through injury, with Amorim preferring to play Diogo Dalot out of position at left wing-back, rather than Tyrell Malacia – a firm indication of the coach’s assessment of the Dutch fullback, who is free to leave Old Trafford before the February 3 deadline.
It has become a priority position for United executives to fill this month with a number of prospective targets approached by the club. And a £30 million deal was struck yesterday for Lecce wing-back Patrick Dorgu with the Danish international set to travel to Manchester this week to complete the move.
However, Amorim has already seen a left-back join up with his squad this week as Shaw has completed his return from injury to take part in first-team training today.
Luke Shaw to do a full session #mufc pic.twitter.com/XtVBg0JeaR
— Samuel Luckhurst (@samuelluckhurst) January 29, 2025
The 29-year-old defender, when fit, remains one of the team’s best players, combining speed and strength with world-class technical ability.
As has been the case for much of Shaw’s career at Old Trafford, his performances are hindered by his body’s ability to handle the demands of top-level football, rather than his unquestionable abilities with a football at his feet.
Amorim’s high-intensity style is unlikely to lend itself to Shaw’s fragility, which is why the Portuguese coach will utilise the England international as a left centre-back in his back-three more often than at wing-back.
Regardless, Amorim will be pleased to welcome back a player who is a strong asset for his team for as long as he can stay fit.
Feature image Richard Pelham via Getty Images
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
