It was ten years ago that Luke Shaw touched down in England after his first international tournament, appropriately in Manchester. Two days later, he was unveiled by United.
Shaw’s tenth anniversary with the club was spent proving his fitness in Blankenhain. Little has changed. His United career was barely a month old when Louis van Gaal declared the left back was “not fit”.
Shaw, 29 next month, was not fit often enough in his first season and played only 21 times. That 2015-16 campaign that started so auspiciously was horrifically halted by Hector Moreno in Eindhoven and there were lengthy absences, unenforced and enforced, under Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Across ten seasons, Shaw has averaged 27.5 appearances per season for United. He has not played since Luton Town away on February 18, a week after he felt his hamstring tighten at Aston Villa. Shaw apportioned blame to himself, the medical staff and Erik ten Hag.
His inclusion in the England squad, announced four days before the FA Cup final, and absence on the teamsheet at Wembley caused some dismay. Fans put two and two together and got five. Shaw was impelled to address them in a defensive post on social media.
The United squad was conveniently fullish for the final but Shaw’s omission was undeniably genuine. He has not had a kick for England at the European Championship and Ten Hag (and the medical staff) might have kittens should Shaw play against Slovakia on Sunday.
Opportunity knocks for Tyrell Malacia, a more injury-prone United left back last season. Malacia last played when Jadon Sancho last started for United due to a knee injury that has required two rounds of surgery.
There was morbid curiosity amid Malacia’s year-long absence, with online conspiracy theories abound. Malacia never surfaced in the directors’ box at Old Trafford and he was only visible arriving for Marcus Rashford’s infamous birthday party at Chinawhite on Deansgate in October.
He finally appeared at a game for the FA Cup final. Malacia fleetingly walked through the mixed zone and gave a positive response when asked how his rehabilitation was going.
United are back at Carrington a week on Monday and their first friendly is against Rosenborg in Trondheim the following week. Provided he is fit enough, Malacia is pencilled in to start that and against Rangers at Murrayfield five days later.
The provisional plan will be for players to play a half in those matches before stepping up to an hour-long shift in Los Angeles for the first tour match against Arsenal. Real Betis in San Diego is sandwiched between Arsenal in LA and Liverpool in South Carolina.
Ten Hag has always used friendly matches as a blueprint for the start of the season. The only change from the defeat to Real Madrid on July 25 against Wolves on August 14 was Antony for the injured Kobbie Mainoo. Had Rodrygo not collided into Mainoo’s ankle, the probability is United would have been unchanged at Old Trafford.
Behind Malacia in the queue at left back is Harry Amass. The 17-year-old only joined the academy from Watford last year, trained with the first team in February, was on the bench in March and at Wembley in April.
In the harmonious video United released of the under 18s’ return to Carrington after their title-clinching win at Wolves, Ten Hag was particularly warm with Amass as he clasped hands with the players. Ten Hag asks Amass, dining in the canteen, something. Amass smiles and replies, “I’m good.”
Amass was not in the squad at the Sir Jack Hayward training ground and the FA Cup semi-final was four days away. Ten Hag named Amass on the bench against Coventry.
He had been a substitute at Bournemouth three days earlier, the second in a run of seven successive matches in the first team matchday squad. Amass did not play in the U18s’ last five league games and his 45-minute outing in the Premier League Cup win against Manchester City was pre-arranged as he would be in the squad against Sheffield United 24 hours later.
The U18 coach Adam Lawrence, a fellow southerner in Manchester, said Amass has settled in well and is “excited” about his long-term potential. Ten Hag privately conceded Amass, Habeeb Ogunneye, Louis Jackson and academy graduate 250 Ethan Wheatley were making up the numbers during those depleted weeks in April and May. Their challenge the other side of the Atlantic will be to obtain new numbers on the back of their shirts.
Ogunneye could be a starting right back, depending on how hastily a transfer is arranged for Aaron Wan-Bissaka. Wheatley could be the only out-and-out centre forward with first team minutes and Jackson can expect minutes with Lisandro Martinez recovering from his Copa America excursions.
Mainoo, Zidane Iqbal, Anthony Elanga, Mason Greenwood and Andreas Pereira are recent proof of academy breakthroughs in pre-season. Staying there for ten years is an altogether different challenge.
As Shaw knows.