One Manchester United star worked through a ‘tailored regime’ during pre-season as he looks to try and break into Ruben Amorim’s preferred starting XI.
Manchester United finished their U.S. tour on a strong note, winning the Premier League Summer Series in what was a largely encouraging spell for the squad.
After a 0-0 draw with Leeds in Sweden, United began their U.S. fixtures with a 2-1 win over West Ham, followed by an impressive 4-1 victory against Bournemouth. A 2-2 draw with Everton was a tougher challenge, but it was enough to secure top spot in the tournament.
Ruben Amorim will take plenty of positives from the tour, though a few areas for improvement remain clear ahead of the new season.
The Reds host Arsenal in the opening game of the Premier League season in less than two weeks and they will need to be prepared.
United star had ‘tailored regime’ during pre-season
One of the interesting aspects during the tour was how Amorim included several injured players in the squad. Lisandro Martínez, André Onana and Joshua Zirkzee all travelled without playing and were instead working hard behind the scenes.
Bryan Mbeumo also had a different plan to the rest of the squad after he returned for pre-season around two weeks after most of them.
But it was noted by The Athletic that Luke Shaw also followed a ‘tailored regime’ over pre-season to try and avoid any repeat injuries for the defender.
Shaw played in all three fixtures on tour and also started against Leeds but it is clear that Amorim and his staff want to be careful with the 30-year-old who is known for his injuries.
Amorim has spoken glowingly about Shaw’s abilities beforehand and will hope that his approach for the defender will help him to play more football next term.
Shaw can break into Amorim’s XI
Most of the positions in Amorim’s team are taken up by obvious choices now but one of the question marks is that left centre-back role.
Martínez is probably the preferred choice when fit but he is still recovering from a long-term injury and Ayden Heaven looks really promising but is still very inexperienced.
Shaw has impressed in his latest appearances in that position and the player himself will feel like he can push his way into Amorim’s preferred side this season.
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Not many people would bet against that happening, but the real question is whether he can keep the fitness to secure that spot for the long-term.
One thing is for sure, it looks like Amorim will take a cautious approach with Shaw to try and avoid any serious injuries impacting his season.
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