Luke Shaw to Miss Champions League Opener for Manchester United

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

Shaw, 31, skipped United’s final session on Wednesday morning, which was designated as a recovery and rest day for the squad. His absence comes at a brutal time in the schedule. United face Manchester City at Old Trafford on Sunday, with City enjoying a two-day advantage in preparation after their win over Porto on Tuesday night.

Carrick now has a decision to make at left back, and it comes under a harsh spotlight after the chaos of Sunday.

Substitution Storm at Everton

At Everton, United were 2-1 up and heading into stoppage time when Carrick turned to his bench. Shaw was withdrawn in the 91st minute, with United seemingly in control at the Hill Dickinson Stadium. Moments later, the game slipped away.

Ainsley Maitland-Niles struck in the 95th minute to snatch a 2-2 draw, and Carrick’s late defensive reshuffle was immediately torn apart in the post-match debate.

Former United captain Gary Neville led the criticism, questioning why Carrick disrupted his back line in the dying moments. Right back Diogo Dalot had already made way for centre back Leny Yoro as United tried to see the game out, only for the structure to unravel under Everton’s final surge.

Noussair Mazraoui, who can operate at left back, came on for Shaw and was involved in the decisive moment, inadvertently steering the ball into Maitland-Niles’ path for the equaliser. It was the kind of small error that explodes under the weight of a dropped result.

Summer Gamble at Left Back

United’s problems on the flank are not new. They went into the summer window knowing Shaw was their only established, specialist left back. They came out of it in exactly the same position.

Interest in Newcastle’s Lewis Hall went nowhere, with United receiving short shrift when they explored a deal. Arsenal’s Myles Lewis-Skelly was later offered, but United balked at an asking price north of £50million and walked away.

The result is a squad built for a long season with a single senior out-and-out left back. Behind Shaw, the depth chart thins out alarmingly.

Amass Rusty and Returning from Injury

Nineteen-year-old Harry Amass is the only natural back-up in the role, but he is short of rhythm and recent minutes. Amass has not played for United since May 2025 and spent last season on loan in the Championship with Sheffield Wednesday and Norwich City.

His campaign at Norwich was cut short by a hamstring injury in January, and he has not featured since. Throwing him straight into a Champions League opener, with City looming at the weekend, would be a huge call.

So Carrick stands at a familiar United crossroads: patch the problem with a makeshift option like Mazraoui, or gamble on an undercooked youngster in Amass.

Shaw’s absence on Thursday is a blow in its own right. The real question is whether it becomes the moment that exposes a summer of hesitation in the transfer market, just as the season starts to tighten around them.