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Injuries were the theme of Manchester United’s season and the level of bad luck involved confounded fans.
Even Erik ten Hag said he had never had this level of bad luck with injuries throughout his career as he spent most of the season fitting square pegs in round holes somehow.
The position that was affected the most was left-back, as Tyrell Malacia was MIA the whole season with his return timeline postponing each time Ten Hag spoke.
Luke Shaw started off as being available but was so only intermittently, before being out of action entirely for the last few months.
However, now the player himself has revealed (via Mirror) that his situation has less to do with luck and more down to recklessness and weak decision-making.
Shaw has revealed that after he came off at half-time against Aston Villa, he didn’t train for the whole week leading up to the next one against Luton.
He said the manager asked him then to play against Luton and he agreed which, in his words, he “shouldn’t have played”.
Shaw finishes by saying that his situation is everyone’s fault, naming the medical staff and himself as well.
He said: “I felt something against Aston Villa and came off at half-time. I didn’t train the whole week and when the scan came back, there wasn’t too much there.
“I then trained the day before the game (at Luton) – and if the manager asks me to play, I’m never going to say ‘no.’ But I shouldn’t have played. It’s kind of everyone’s fault. Partly my fault, partly the medical staff. I think everyone would admit that.”
He further revealed that in an effort to quicken his recovery and be available for the FA Cup final, he made it worse instead.
He was on pace to be available in three weeks leading up to the final but a setback in recovery stretched that timeline to six weeks instead.
This is a huge revelation which paints Ten Hag and the medical team in a new light as more than just people with bad luck.
Desperation saw them lose sight of the long-term goal and in the end, they hurt themselves and the player by being reckless.
That is something that needs to be addressed going forward and one would hope this comes under the club audit INEOS are conducting.
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