Luke Shaw’s season appears over after Louis van Gaal said the left-back would be unlikely to play in the FA Cup final on 21 May – should Manchester United reach it. This makes Shaw’s availability for the European Championship unlikely as Roy Hodgson is intent on naming his provisional England squad on 12 May, despite Uefa’s deadline not coming until 31 May.
Shaw suffered a double break in his right leg in the 2-1 defeat by PSV Eindhoven in September. The 20-year-old is due to train outside on the pitch at the training ground on Monday for the first time since the injury but Van Gaal cast doubt on him playing competitively before next season.
“Luke Shaw next week shall start the first training sessions on the pitch,” the manager said. “He has been in the pool, in the gym, on the treadmill. But now he can train with his body on the pitch but Luke knows it will be very difficult to play the final of the FA Cup.”
While United have a quarter-final replay at West Ham United on 13 April, England play the first of three warm-up games for the Euros the day after the final – against Turkey at the Etihad Stadium – before an opening championship match with Russia on 11 June. This would seem to make Shaw a certainty to be unavailable until next season.
Bastian Schweinsteiger also faces a fight to recover from a knee injury in time for Germany’s challenge at Euro 2016, although Wayne Rooney will soon return from his own knee problem and may play for United’s Under-21s before any first-team action.
On Schweinsteiger, who was injured during training with Germany in the recent international break, Van Gaal said: “You cannot say [when he will return] as a manager but also as a doctor because it depends every day on rehabilitation and it’s up and down with injuries. Schweinsteiger is, of course, a tragic injury because the expectation is not so good for him in relation to the European Championship but you never know. He has to work hard for it because he wants to play in it and the manager of the German national team wants him to play in it. I hope he can reach it but it will be difficult.”
Rooney has been out since the 2-1 defeat at Sunderland on 13 February. “Wayne Rooney is doing great but you cannot say that he can play next week,” Van Gaal said. “He’s doing great. He trained today at a lower level with the ball and will probably play an Under-21s match before he comes back.”
Van Gaal said he was content with the support given him by Sir Alex Ferguson in an interview on Thursday. The former manager said patience was required; Ferguson having required four years before claiming a first trophy when in charge – the FA Cup in 1990.
Van Gaal, who is in his second season, said: “Yes, I think he is right. He mentioned also a few arguments and these arguments I have used also. So we are speaking with one mouth here and that’s fantastic that you can feel it as a manager of Manchester United, that support.”
