Luke Shaw has stated that his recent injury setbacks are his own fault as well as the fault of Manchester United’s medical staff:“It’s kind of everyone’s fault.”
Due to many injury setbacks, the 28-year-old was only able to make 12 Premier League appearances this season. Since United’s 2-1 victory against Luton Town on February 18, the player has not appeared on the field.
Shaw was forced to leave the game against Aston Villa on February 11 at halftime due to hamstring strain. Prior to this, he had missed three months of the season between August and late November, and then another month until the start of February.
“I felt something against Aston Villa and came off at half-time at Villa Park,” Shaw told British media. “It’s kind of everyone’s fault. Partly my fault, partly medical staff, I think everyone would admit that. I didn’t train the whole week.
“The scan came back and there wasn’t too much there. But I didn’t train all week, then trained the day before the game. If the manager asks me to play, I’m never going to say no. I shouldn’t have played.”
Shaw clarified that despite being named in England’s 26-man squad for the European Championship, he sustained a fresh hamstring injury after returning to action “too quickly.” This ailment was initially supposed to last six weeks, but Shaw’s actions prevented him from playing for United again in the 2023–24 season.
“I got a few people coming up to me, saying: ‘How can you not be fit for United but fit for England?’ But the circumstances were that I did push to do everything I can to be fit for United, and that’s been really my whole season. It’s been disappointing for me, but I want to do everything I can, first and foremost, for United,” Shaw said.
“It’s better for me to come out and say what happened, because I think there were a lot of questions over how I could be here and not United. That’s been playing on my mind a little bit because I don’t want people thinking that that’s what I’m doing.”
Shaw is returning to fitness “day by day” and will miss England’s opening group stage match against Serbia on June 16, but he hopes to be included in the team for the match against Denmark four days later.
(Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
