With all the ailments he has had to deal with this season at Manchester United, Erik ten Hag must be exhausted.

Four defenders are among the six first-team players sidelined for the Red Devils due to injury.

However, with United undefeated and winning their past four Premier League games, the team’s success has not yet been hampered by missing players in 2024.

Nevertheless, Luke Shaw’s most recent injury is a serious setback to the team and might define the season.

Luke Shaw’s most recent failure
Shaw has struggled with many injuries every season and has missed an incredible 210 games throughout his nearly ten-year tenure at United.

Regretfully, from August to November, the England international missed 16 games this season, so things haven’t changed much. Shaw was taken off the field at halftime of the last match against Aston Villa as a precaution, but the United supporters were happy to see him back in the starting lineup just one week later.

But, it’s always concerning when a former Southampton player gets changed away at Luton Town minutes before the half.

The Manchester United Luke Shaw
This week’s report indicated that Shaw is probably going to miss the remainder of the season, which is a huge blow to United and a major headache for the manager since he doesn’t have a backup left back on hand.

Four left-backs were available when United opened the season: Tyrell Malacia, who is still out; Sergio Reguilon, who is now on loan at Brentford after his short-term loan expired; Diogo Dalot, who is unable to play on either wing because of Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s injury; and, of course, Alvaro Fernandez.

However, the only player remaining is 16-year-old Harry Amass, who, although showing promise as a long-term Shaw replacement, may not be ready to take the pitch just yet.

It was Alvaro Fernandez who escaped.
Following his signing from Real Madrid, Fernandez has been a member of the United academy since 2020. According to Football potential Scout Jacek Kulig, Fernandez has grown into a “amazing” potential there.

After going on loan to Preston North End in the 2022–2023 season, the Spaniard truly started to show off. He made 39 appearances in the Championship during the season, recorded four assists, and—after a very productive loan stint—won the Young Player of the Year title for the team.

Fernandez-Man, United, Chelsea, Maatsen, Premier League transfer
To further his development, Fernandez signed a loan with Granada in the summer; however, he only made five La Liga starts before being called up in January.

Shaw was still the only left-back available for selection when he returned, and Malacia was recovering. However, given the former’s unreliability, it’s hard to understand how Ten Hag decided to send the young player out on loan to Benfica for the remainder of the season, where he has made six appearances.

Career Stats for Fernandez

Club

Lighters

G/A

Benfica

Six

0

Granada

14

0

Preston

42

Six

Man Utd U23’s

47

14

Manchester United U18’s

9.

3.

Statistics from Transfermarkt

Despite being a more natural centre half, Victor Lindelof has emerged as United’s first choice left defender, so Ten Hag will likely be forced to rue letting the 20-year-old leave as he counts down the minutes until Malacia or Wan-Bissaka returns. United will surely be caught off guard down that flank.