Ruben Amorim is about to start the business end of the season at Manchester United and despite all the claims about the Premier League, there’s a lot to play for.
Every place in the Premier League is worth up to £3 million extra in prize money, and the carrot of both, the Europa League and the Champions League qualification dangles in the form of the FA Cup and the Europa League.
In such a situation, Ruben Amorim needs all the help he can get and that means fewer injuries and better form of players available.
Therefore, the latest injury news coming out of Man Utd should be the last straw for the Man Utd manager.
Ruben Amorim’s surprising Luke Shaw-Mason Mount update
It goes without saying that at this point, both Luke Shaw and Mason Mount should be regarded as bonus squad members when fit instead of reliable ones.
Shaw has played as many games for England as he has for Man Utd since July (three), and Mason Mount has been out since December 15.
Mount’s last injury update was more than a month ago and there’s still no timeline for his return but so low is the bar that he’s still played more games than Shaw this season.
Therefore, it was all the more surprising when Amorim, in his press conference before the Ipswich game, said Mount is closer to returning than Shaw.
He said: “No [imminent return for Shaw]. He’s doing his rehab but we don’t have a date for him yet. I think [Mount is] closer than Luke Shaw but we don’t have a specific date to return.”
A setback to Shaw about two-three weeks ago was considered minor but since then, it has snowballed and the fact that Mount is set for a return earlier than him speaks volumes about the hopelessness surrounding the left-back.
Luke Shaw’s injury update the final straw at Man Utd
The true extent of Shaw’s problems at United are impossible to put into numbers and missed games at this point because they have lost all meaning.
Multiple managers in the past have staked their job on his availability and they all find themselves out of a job at Man Utd.
Amorim correctly identified that problem and signed Patrick Dorgu as soon as he entered his first transfer window and now comes the next step.
Shaw’s new contract in 2023 that runs till 2027 makes it almost impossible for United to be able to shift him but if Ineos are serious about resetting the culture, they will try to cut their losses and shift him at all costs, even if it takes some money to do it.
United can no longer afford to carry passengers in the team and that is no indictment on Shaw, who must be trying his best to return.
It’s no different than the employees getting caught in mass redundancies, who must have been doing their job at Old Trafford diligently, with more availability than Shaw and on far lesser wages.
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