Luke Shaw has explained who is to blame for his recurring injury problems this term.
The left-back started just 12 games in the Premier League this term and is therefore facing a race against time to be fit to feature for England at Euro 2024.
Having injured his hamstring against Aston Villa on February 11, Shaw then featured a week later against Luton – a match that would prove to be his final outing of the season after suffering a recurrence of the problem.
His injury has been a source of huge frustration for Shaw and Man United’s fans, something that the defender admits is partly his own fault.
He said: “I felt something against Aston Villa (in February) and came off at half time.
“It’s kind of everyone’s fault. Partly my fault, partly medical staff, I think everyone would admit that.
“I didn’t train the whole week. The scan came back and there wasn’t too much there. But I didn’t train all week, then trained the day before the game. If the manager asks me to play, I’m never going to say no. I shouldn’t have played.”
Shaw added: “We all want to play football. My season has been so frustrating, injury after injury. Maybe at times, especially my first hamstring, could have been avoidable.
“That wasn’t the case, things happen, and I’ve just got to move on from that. The biggest thing for me now is putting my full focus on getting back fit and helping England win the Euros.”
Shaw is part of England’s 26-man squad for the Euros this summer but with Man United fans questioning why he’s fit for his country but not his club, the defender wanted to set the record straight.
He explained: “I think people have been getting confused with what’s actually happened, because nothing had ever been said. I got a few people coming up to me, saying, “How can you not be fit for United but fit for England?”.
“But the circumstances were that I did push to do everything I can to be fit for United, and that’s been my whole season, really. In my opinion, I was pushing to try and get back for the games and the final, and I think I pushed too hard.
“I came back too quickly and I actually ended up getting another injury in my hamstring, which was three weeks from the final and they said it was a six-week injury, so that’s obviously why there was that setback.
“I had done a little bit of team training. When you build back up, you tend to go in a little bit of team training just to get a feel of it and then you go with the conditioning coach to do different things and try and build up your fitness. It was actually when I was over there that I felt something in my hamstring. I had a scan and it was a six-week injury. I was devastated.
“It’s better for me to come out and say what happened, because I think there was a lot of questions over how I could be here and not United. That’s been playing on my mind a little bit, because I don’t want people thinking that’s what I’m doing.”
Shaw is unlikely to be fit for England’s opening group stage match against Serbia next weekend, but is realistically going to be targeting a return later in the tournament.
But that won’t stop him from targeting a swift return, saying: “I would love to make the first game, I can’t lie.
“But I don’t want to be in one of them situations and rush too quickly because, realistically, I’ve only got one chance.
“If I feel something, then that’s it, and I don’t want that to happen.”
England’s opening clash of Euro 2024 comes against Serbia on Sunday June 16 – live on talkSPORT.