Erik ten Hag has said he will not rush Luke Shaw back into action after the Manchester United full-back suffered another injury setback.
Shaw has been ruled out until after the season’s first international break after picking up a calf injury in training.
He hasn’t featured for Ten Hag’s team since February, but started for England against Spain in the Euro 2024 final, a decision which has been criticised by some United fans.
“He will return in the short term, it doesn’t take long,” Ten Hag told a news conference on Thursday.
“We are looking forward, of course, for Luke Shaw. He is a very important player for our team so we want to get him back as soon as possible but we can’t force this process.”
Shaw will miss United’s opening Premier League game against Fulham on Friday, but the squad has been boosted by the arrival of Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui. The pair, signed from Bayern Munich this week, are set to be involved at Old Trafford.
“Issues are there, but it’s not about those who are not available,” said Ten Hag. “Same as last season, it’s about who is available and we can put out a strong team. We will do that. [De Ligt and Mazraoui] will be in the squad, and Harry Maguire will be in the squad as well.
“We are not 100%, but we have to go from game to game to improve and to get higher performance levels in the team and in individual players. We will see how quick we can go with this process.”
