Man United start season with another crisis as oft-injured England international set to miss more time

For a player so vital to Manchester United's defensive setup, Luke Shaw has spent an alarming amount of time on the sidelines.

The 29-year-old has been beset by yet another injury before the 2024/25 season has even begun.

Shaw will miss the start of the Premier League campaign, Man United confirmed, after picking up a calf injury in the beginning of the club's preseason tour. He will miss at least the first three matches of the season.

It's not clear when Shaw suffered the injury, as Manchester United only said it occurred "at the start of pre-season training." However, Shaw was not part of early Man United training due to his presence in England's run to the Euro 2024 final.

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Shaw was thought to be joining up with the Red Devils in early August following the club's final preseason friendly against Liverpool, with United beaten 3-0 in South Carolina. The club then returned to England for the Community Shield against Manchester City on August 10.

It was not odd that Shaw was not part of the Community Shield squad given he was only just meant to have started preseason training.

Yet his injury troubles only continue to mount. When Shaw is on the field, the United full-back is a key figure in the team's defensive structure, and his performances support that status. Yet he has struggled to stay fit for multiple seasons, only eclipsing 2,000 Premier League minutes for United three times in his 10 years at the club and never for consecutive campaigns.

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Last season was by far his most injury-stricken campaign of the last six years, making just 12 Premier League appearances totaling 963 minutes. He missed the last 13 league games of the year as United were pushing for a European position, and missed nearly the entire FA Cup title run as well, playing just 82 minutes.

It's hard to imagine the club will be able to count on Shaw's contributions moving forward given his extensive history of fitness issues.