England manager Gareth Southgate has revealed Manchester Uniteds Luke Shaw is suffering from an injury related to the double leg break he suffered last year.
Shaw, 21, missed Uniteds comfortable win over Swansea City on Sunday (6 November) with Jose Mourinho revealing before the match the left-back had declared himself unfit for the game at the Liberty Stadium.
After the match, the United boss appeared to take aim at the former Southampton defender, as well as Chris Smalling, suggesting both were reluctant to play through the pain barrier to help their side.
The United pair were subsequently left out of the England squad for upcoming games against Scotland and Spain. Southgate says he and his staff have been in close contact with United over the duo and feel neither man is fit enough to play over the next eight days.
Chris hasnt played for quite a while and Luke has played but weve known he has had ongoing difficulties coming back from a very serious injury. Southgate told a press conference. Our medical teams have been liaising very closely throughout the week [with United]. The decision was a bit late but we have been aware both have been carrying injuries.
Shaw suffered a horrific double leg break in September 2015 during a Champions League clash with PSV Eindhoven, which ruled him out for the rest of the 2015-16 season as well as Englands Euro 2016 campaign.
While he enjoyed a bright start to the campaign, Shaw was singled out for criticism by Mourinho in the wake of Uniteds 3-1 defeat to Watford in September. On that occasion, the United manager blamed Shaw for Watfords second goal in his post-match press conference, detailing how and why the full-back was at fault.
While Mourinhos latest comments cast a shadow over what was the clubs first league win in five, Southgate has refused to be drawn on the criticism.
In terms of what Jose said, thats a club matter and not for me to comment on. In terms of players playing with injury, there is always a line for a player. Players want to play, generally, but on individual situations, you need all the information to be able to comment, really. It totally depends on what an injury is, what part of the body, what are the ramifications. It is a very individual thing.
