- Manchester United believe it would benefit the club and the player
- Persistent injuries leave doubts over Shaw’s ability to feature in every game
- The Red Devils’ trio of Shaw, Maguire, and Mainoo have 67 days to impress Tuchel
Manchester United believe it could work in their favour if Luke Shaw misses the 2026 World Cup, citing concerns over his ongoing injury record.
United would like Shaw to finally have a full pre-season and return fully fit for the start of next season, per Manchester Evening News.
Despite starting every single Premier League game for Manchester United this season, Shaw was not called up by English manager Thomas Tuchel, who included only Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly and Newcastle’s Lewis Hall as left-backs in his expanded 35-man squad.
Shaw’s Season so far
The 2025/26 season has been Luke Shaw’s most consistent for years. He has started every Premier League game and logged the bulk of the minutes. Out of a possible 2,790, Shaw has played 2,626, the 23rd-highest in the league and 15th among outfield players.
This is just his third season in red—fourth overall—of playing in 30 or more Premier League matches.
If he continues to start every game, Shaw will surpass his current record of 35 Premier League appearances, set during the 2013/14 season in his last campaign with Southampton.
But despite his consistency in the current season, Shaw has been riddled with injuries throughout his career.
Luke Shaw’s injury record
| Season | Injuries | Days injured | Games missed (club and country) |
| 25/26 | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| 24/25 | 3 | 294 | 54 |
| 23/24 | 3 | 239 | 47 |
| 22/23 | 1 | 14 | 3 |
| 21/22 | 4 | 89 | 16 |
| 20/21 | 2 | 91 | 17 |
| 19/20 | 3 | 94 | 22 |
| 18/19 | 4 | 57 | 9 |
| 17/18 | 1 | 191 | 28 |
| 16/17 | 2 | 178 | 24 |
| 15/16 | 1 | 289 | 64 |
| 14/15 | 4 | 125 | 21 |
| 13/14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 12/13 | 1 | 18 | 1 |
306 games missed. 2184 days out injured.
Luke Shaw has spent the equivalent of five years and 359 days on the treatment table, missing over 300 matches across club and country.
It is no surprise that Manchester United want him fit.
If Shaw stays fit until the end of the season, it will mark the first time since 2013/14—and just the second time in his career—that he hasn’t missed a single match due to injury.
In a career spanning 14 seasons, having just two fully fit campaigns is nothing short of staggering.
What is Shaw’s Chance of Making World Cup?
It seems highly unlikely now that Shaw will be on the plane heading to the United States of America.
Whilst the Englishman was a favourite of previous manager Gareth Southgate, Tuchel has never managed the left-back and is yet to see how he works with him.
With the German opting not to call him up, it seems highly unlikely that Tuchel would reverse course and make a late change.
At 29—turning 30 in July—Shaw has just this World Cup, and possibly the 2030 edition, to make his mark on the international stage.
United may want the defender to stay back and rest, but Shaw will likely push on and fight for every opportunity to feature.
