Ruben Amorim finally nearly has all the pieces to his Man Utd jigsaw puzzle – just one problematic player remains

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Ruben Amorim was without just one senior player for Wednesday’s training session at Carrington.

Manchester United are preparing to face Viktoria Plzen in the Europa League and Amorim almost has a fully fit squad to work with ahead of another must win European tie.

The group was bolstered in training by the return of Jonny Evans, Victor Lindelof and Toby Collyer.

However, Evans was not fit enough to make Manchester United’s travelling squad for the trip to the Czech Republic. The Northern Ireland international has not played since Amorim’s opening game in charge against Ipswich Town after he sustained an injury.

Elsewhere in defence, Amorim will have Lindelof available if he wants to mix things up at the back. It remains to be seen if the Portuguese coach will settle on a preferred back three while the wing-back options are likely to change from week to week.

Collyer, who is back in contention for selection, had been sidelined since he took a knock in a game against Brentford on October 19. The midfielder’s last start came at left-back in the 7-0 win over Barnsley in the Carabao Cup.

With most of the squad available, there is one existing problem for Amorim to deal with.

Luke Shaw’s fitness remains a problem for Manchester United

Amorim must get to know his players, but it remains to be seen if Shaw will ever get a run of games under the new head coach.

Shaw has not started a game for the Reds since February, but that didn’t stop him representing England at the European Championships.

So far this season, Shaw has made just three substitute appearances, but he is back in the treatment room after suffering yet another setback. Shaw announced that he was ‘devastated’ as he’d miss out on more action.

The more football Shaw misses out on, the more questions will be asked about his long-term future at the club, hence why United are being linked with several left-backs.

It bodes well that Tyrell Malacia is returning to full fitness because United were without a recognised left-back for the start of the season.

Patience is wearing thin on Luke Shaw

Not knowing when your primary left-back will be available is far from ideal. That has long been a reality for the Manchester United manager – whether it was Erik ten Hag or those before him.

With this being a huge problem for United, we can see why the club would prioritise signing a left-back in January or next summer.

That means Shaw could become a problem for another club but we must note that he’s one of the best left-backs around when fit.

It remains to be seen how the England international would react to being pushed down the pecking order at Old Trafford, but I don’t think it will be Malacia who puts him in that situation. It may well be United youngster Harry Amass who overtakes Shaw as he continues to knock on the door of the first-team as he waits patiently for his first-team debut.

The challenge for Shaw is staying fit and it’s a battle he has lost over the past two seasons.