Louis van Gaal is surprised at how mentally strong Luke Shaw is proving following the horrific double leg break the left-back suffered in Manchester United’s defeat by PSV Eindhoven.
Shaw faces a minimum of six months out yet, when Van Gaal spoke to him on Thursday, the 20-year-old indicated his spirits are high. “I called him last night,” the manager said. “He sounds very strong, which was amazing for me – a big surprise. It is a good signal but he knows he has a long way to go and it is not easy.
“His family is there, we have sent people with him and he will come back when he is prepared. Maybe tomorrow. He will have a long period of rehabilitation and he has a long way to go.”
Shaw had been one of United’s best performers in their eight matches this season and Van Gaal accepts his absence is a sizeable blow. “It is not only physical but mental. For us it is a big loss, as a team. I have said this will be the season of Luke Shaw but now it is finished nearly,” the Dutchman said.
“He started so well, built up a left wing with Depay and Shaw but we have to start filling it again and it is not easy. We have to cope with it but it is a big loss. It is not a problem but Shaw is the line-up player and it is very difficult to replace him when he is in such a good shape. In [Daley] Blind, [Marcos] Rojo and [Ashley] Young, we have good replacements.”
Wayne Rooney, the captain, is available to start at Southampton on Sunday following a hamstring injury. “He is back, it was a minor injury and we didn’t want to take risks but he has had training and treatment and I think he can start,” said Van Gaal.
Anthony Martial started against PSV to make his full debut after being a replacement in last Saturday’s 3-1 victory over Liverpool, scoring a memorable third for the side.
Van Gaal suggested he will again consider using the teenager. “When I say he is for the future, it is because of the fact that a 19-year-old is not fully developed,” the Dutchman said. “That doesn’t mean I won’t count on him in certain games. I just have to judge every week whether I use him or not. It depends on the possibilities that I have.”
