Luke Shaw and Lisandro Martinez missing from Man United training video – Man United News And Transfer News

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As Manchester United prepare to face off against Liverpool in their last game of the pre-season tour of the USA, some of the club’s best stars are being put through their paces back at home.

Players who had extended runs in their international sides’ summer competitions arrived late back from holiday and it was decided that they would stay at United’s training facilities at Carrington.

Altay Bayindir, Diogo Dalot, Luke Shaw, Lisandro Martinez, Bruno Fernandez, Alejandro Garnacho and new signing Josh Zirkzee have all been working with Steve McClaren before he takes up his new post as head coach of the Jamaica national team.

United today posted a video of five of those seven stars in training.

Straight to work 🫡#MUFC pic.twitter.com/iFQgUlI7fX

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 3, 2024

What was noteworthy in the video was the absence of Martinez and Shaw from the lineup.

United fans will be forgiven for being concerned, given the pair’s horrific injury problems last season.

Martinez was injured in mid-September and made a brief comeback in January/February, playing just three games before being ruled out until the final seven minutes of the Premier Lague season against Newcastle United and 73 minutes of the FA Cup final.

Shaw’s story was a similar one; he played the first two games of the season before suffering a long layoff, then returned in November/December for a few weeks before getting injured again.

He then returned for four games in February before then being ruled out for the rest of the season.

The disastrous 2023/24 campaign can be put down to many things, but the extended absences of these two world-class defenders was undeniably a key factor.

Success or failure in 2024/25 could hinge on their availability and fitness.

Cover could be on its way for both, with Leny Yoro potentially being joined by Matthijs de Ligt as centre-back reinforcements and Noussair Mazraoui reportedly soon be added to the full-back roster.

Young Harry Amass has impressed in pre-season and could also step up.

Nonetheless, fans will surely breathe a huge sigh of relief when they see Luke and Licha back in training and walking out onto the Wembley turf to face Manchester City in the Community Shield on Saturday.

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