Manchester United have had to deal with several injury blows in defence this season.
It was the same story last season under Erik ten Hag when Manchester United dragged their feet through a season with an ongoing injury crisis. The defence was depleted as a result and some of the same players have missed long periods of the current campaign, too.
Right now, United are without nine players due to injury. Six of them are defenders: Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw, Leny Yoro, Harry Maguire, Ayden Heaven and Jonny Evans.
Ruben Amorim will hope to have some of those players back in the squad before the end of this season, with United aiming to go all the way in the Europa League after reaching the quarter-finals.
Ineos need to ensure they keep adding talent to the squad to ensure Amorim has a better squad to work with next season. However, they will be aware of the mistakes made by the previous recruitment teams.
Signing injury-prone players is something United will be trying to avoid.
Man Utd dodged a bullet with Alphonso Davies
Bayern Munich defender Alphonso Davies has been linked with a move to Manchester United on multiple occasions.
Renowned as one of the best left-backs in the world, Davies rubbished claims he would leave Bavaria by signing a new five-year deal running until June 2030, back in February.
Davies’ agent wanted to meet with United before deciding his future, but that wasn’t the only time the Reds were linked with the Canada international.
Former scout Jorge Alvial revealed he urged United to sign Davies when the left-back was just 14-years-old, so it felt like he was simply one who got away.
However, recent news coming out of Germany suggests United have avoided a bullet by not pursuing a deal to sign Davies.
Bayern Munich have confirmed Davies has suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and he will be out for at least six months, meaning he won’t play again this season.
The world-class defender limped off 12 minutes into Canada’s 2-1 win over the United States in the Concacaf Nations League third-place match.
Davies will undergo surgery to correct the issue and he will hope to be fully recovered ahead of the 2026 World Cup.
United looked elsewhere in the January transfer window and signed Patrick Dorgu from Leece. The Denmark international has already proved to be a brilliant addition at left wing-back and Amorim is not having to shoehorn Diogo Dalot into the role as frequently.
Davies or Luke Shaw 2.0
United have struggled with injuries again this season.
Amorim needs to ensure the club signs players he can rely on throughout a season, although United fans must always accept that some injuries are simply unavoidable.
Shaw is one of the biggest examples of United first-team players who miss too many games each season.
The frightening aspect of Davies’ latest injury blow is what it would have meant for United had we signed him previously.
Shaw has had 24 injuries at United, subsequently missing over 250 games and counting.
In comparison, Davies has suffered 15 injuries during his time at Bayern but like Shaw – when fit – he is an integral part of the team when it comes to club and country.
Davies suffered a hamstring strain during a Champions League clash against Feyenoord on January 22 and missed six matches as a result.
The Canadian has made 31 appearances in all competitions this season, which is considerably more than Shaw, who is worryingly stuck on 3.
Perhaps the biggest comparison that can be made between Davies and Shaw is how reliant their teams are on them when they’re full fit. There was a time – not long ago – when United fans considered Shaw to be one of the best left-backs in Europe.
Now, Shaw’s future at Old Trafford is covered in doubt.
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