England International offers good news on injury front

To judge Luke Shaw’s performance against Everton simply on the concession of a penalty would represent a gross neglect of our duties as purveyors of insightful sports opinion.

His tackle from behind in the area was a classic case of youthful instinct getting the better of studied professionalism. In time he will learn, like Tyler Blackett at Leicester, that this is a no win tackle. Even if you do get the ball, which Luke Shaw may argue he did, you are giving the ref little option but to penalise you.

Shaw’s decisions making will improve with experience but his overall performance spoke of a player who will surely go on to become one of Manchester United’s most decorated employees.

His touch, speed, accuracy with distribution and composure on the ball, is remarkable for one so young. And that pace gives him such and edge – it really is the icing on a very nice cake.

Forget the talk of him having a nightmare game. The promise of this lad is undeniable.

But even the best require fortune at times and, when Shaw hobbled off after 70 minutes, we were concerned that he might suffer a spell on the sidelines just as his career was getting started.

But, thankfully, he spoke was quoted on the official Manchester United website as saying:

“It’s not a bad injury, it’s a dead leg on my knee,” he explained. “I felt it in the first 20 minutes when I got caught but it carried on during the game so I thought it was probably best to come off before it gets any worse.”

“I spoke with the doctor and obviously the manager as well and both feel it’s best that I do go [with the England Under-21s] as it’s not an injury that is going to keep me out. Hopefully, I should be training in the next couple of days and can get another two games of 90 minutes each.”

Manchester United fans: worried about Shaw?