Erik ten Hag must be sick and tired of all the injuries he has had to face and provide solutions for this season at Manchester United.
The Red Devils currently have six first-team players out with injuries, with four of those being defenders.
Nevertheless, United's form has yet to be hindered by unavailable players in 2024, with the side unbeaten and winning their last four games in the Premier League.
That said, the most recent injury to Luke Shaw is a huge blow to the side, and it has the potential to be season-defining.
Luke Shaw's latest setback
Throughout his career, Shaw has dealt with numerous setbacks each season, missing an astonishing 210 matches over his nearly ten-year spell at United.
Unfortunately, this season hasn't been any different, with the England international missing 16 games from August to November. The recent game against Aston Villa saw Shaw removed at half-time as a precaution, but the United faithful were relieved to see him return to the starting XI just a week later.
However, the former Southampton man was replaced minutes before the interval away to Luton Town, which is always a worrying sign.
An update this week has confirmed that Shaw is likely to miss the rest of the season, which not only weakens United massively but also causes plenty of problems for the boss, who doesn't have a backup left back available.
United started the season with four left-backs: Tyrell Malacia, who's still injured; Sergio Reguilon, now on loan at Brentford after his short-term loan ended; Diogo Dalot, who isn't able to switch flanks due to the injury of Aaron Wan-Bissaka; and, of course, Alvaro Fernandez.
But he is now left with none other than 16-year-old Harry Amass, who – while seemingly a real talent and potential long-term Shaw successor – isn't perhaps ready to step up just yet.
Alvaro Fernandez was the one that got away
Fernandez has been a product of the United academy since 2020, after being signed from Real Madrid, where he has developed into an "amazing" talent, as per Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig.
The Spaniard really began to shine in the 2022/23 season when he joined Preston North End on loan. During the campaign, he played 39 times in the Championship, picked up four assists, and won the club's Young Player of the Year award in what was an extremely successful loan spell.
In the summer, Fernandez joined Granada on loan to continue his development, but he only started five times in La Liga before being recalled in January.
Upon his return, Shaw was still the only left-back available for selection, and Malacia was on his road to recovery, but given the former's lack of reliability, it's difficult to see how Ten Hag came to the conclusion to send the youngster out on loan to Benfica for the rest of the campaign, where he has made six appearances.
Benfica
6
0
Granada
14
0
Preston
42
6
Man Utd U23's
47
14
Man Utd U18's
9
3
With Victor Lindelof now becoming the first choice left back despite being a more natural centre half, United will undoubtedly be caught out down that flank, with Ten Hag left to regret his decision to let the 20-year-old go while counting down the minutes till Malacia or Wan-Bissaka's return.
