Mourinho explains Shaw’s Manchester United absence

Matt Stead

Jose Mourinho says that Luke Shaw is not playing for Manchester United as he is “having a difficult period”.

Shaw, whose agent recently hit out at claims United wanted to sell him, started the season as the club’s first-choice left-back, the 21-year-old starting the first five Premier League games of the campaign.

He has not made an appearance in the league since October however, and has been restricted to games in the Europa League and EFL Cup.

His last game came against West Ham in the EFL Cup quarter-finals in November, and Mourinho has explained his absence.

When asked whether Shaw’s recent injury record has influenced his line-ups, the manager replied: “Of course. You try to have in the squad the players with more minutes, the players in better shape, in better condition.

“In Luke Shaw’s case, even in the game against Reading, when he could have started the game and had 90 minutes, in the morning of the game he was ill and not ready to play.

“So even in that match, which could have been good for him, he was not able to play, so he’s having a difficult period.”