Luke Shaw to Miss Manchester United’s Champions League Opener

Luke Shaw is expected to sit out Manchester United’s Champions League opener against Sabah on Thursday, leaving Michael Carrick exposed in a position the club failed to reinforce in the summer.

Shaw, 31, skipped United’s final session at Carrington on Wednesday morning, which was designated as a recovery and rest day for the squad. With Manchester City arriving at Old Trafford on Sunday – and armed with two extra days’ recovery after their win over Porto on Tuesday – United look set to manage Shaw’s minutes carefully.

Carrick’s late changes under the microscope

The left-back was withdrawn in the 91st minute at Everton on Sunday with United leading 2-1, only for the game to unravel in stoppage time. Ainsley Maitland-Niles struck in the 95th minute to snatch a point after a chaotic finale that has left Carrick’s in-game management under scrutiny.

Gary Neville publicly questioned the decision to alter the back line so late, as Carrick also replaced right-back Diogo Dalot with centre-back Leny Yoro in the dying stages at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. The reshuffle did not bring control; it invited pressure.

Noussair Mazraoui, who can operate at left-back, came on for Shaw and inadvertently diverted the ball into Maitland-Niles’ path in the build-up to the equaliser. One touch, one mistake, and two points gone.

A thin left flank

United’s lack of depth at left-back now looms large. A summer move for Newcastle’s Lewis Hall went nowhere, with the club given short shrift in their attempts to prise him away. Another option, Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly, was offered to United, but the asking price – in excess of £50million – saw the deal quickly dismissed.

That leaves Shaw as the only senior specialist in the role. Behind him, 19-year-old Harry Amass is the sole natural back-up, but he has not played for United since May 2025. Last season he was sent out on loan to Championship sides Sheffield Wednesday and Norwich City, only for his progress to stall when he suffered a hamstring injury at Norwich in January. He has not featured since.

So Carrick enters a Champions League opener and a derby week with a single established left-back, a youngster short of fitness, and a converted full-back in Mazraoui covering the gaps.

United chose not to pay the premium to fix that problem in the summer. Now, with Shaw likely sidelined on Thursday and City looming on Sunday, the bill for that decision is starting to land.