Luke Shaw’s fitness struggles have been a recurring theme in recent seasons, with the defender’s availability often disrupted at key points for Manchester United.
Since 2022, Shaw has suffered 10 separate injuries, the latest being a muscular issue last season that saw him miss 26 matches in all competitions.
Though he recovered just in time to start for England in the 2024 European Championship final, Shaw did not feature in a competitive game for United until 27 April 2025.
A 14-month gap that highlighted his prolonged absence.
During that period, Erik ten Hag was dismissed, and Ruben Amorim found it difficult to find a reliable option for the left-sided centre-back role so vital to his system.
Speaking to the BBC as per Simon Stone’s report, Shaw has now opened up emotionally about his time away and admitted he felt like he let down both Ten Hag and the club.
“I don’t want to keep banging on about it but I couldn’t have got any lower last season,” Shaw said.
“I know I’ve had a lot of injuries but, mentally, last season was really tough.”
He revealed how much he struggled with repeated setbacks and the unfamiliar challenge of rehabbing a calf injury – a problem he’d never faced before.
“I felt like I let Erik down because I wasn’t there for him towards the end and that wasn’t nice,” he added.
“For a lot of last season I felt like I let a lot of people in the club down.
“I found it really hard and put a lot of blame on myself.”
Reflecting on United’s Europa League final defeat to Spurs in May, Shaw admitted his fiery post-match comments questioning whether he and others were good enough stemmed from frustration and disappointment.
“Straight after the game, your head is hot, you say things and don’t think about it… None of us were good enough,” he said.
“I was just fully angry about everything.”
Now 30, Shaw has backed Amorim’s no-nonsense approach to rebuilding the culture at Old Trafford – which included dropping five senior players this summer.
“It can be quite toxic, the environment. It’s not healthy at all,” Shaw admitted.
“Ruben brings demands. Mentality is a big thing. He demands 100% and doesn’t want anything less.”
He also praised the manager’s insistence on discipline and high standards, regardless of player status.
“The manager’s not bothered. He doesn’t care who the player is. That’s how it should be.”
Amorim recently called Shaw “world class” – praise the defender said meant a lot to him after two difficult years.
While Lisandro Martínez and Noussair Mazraoui are currently out injured, Shaw has been playing as left centre-back in pre-season and is determined to reclaim his role.
“I really like this formation… I missed last pre-season so I’m just really happy to be doing this one,” he said.
