Manchester United already have a player that has proven he can fill Ruben Amorim's problem position

When Ruben Amorim met the Manchester United players going through their recovery programmes on Tuesday, he would have taken a keen interest in at least a couple of players.

Leny Yoro is a generational talent at centre-back. Having turned 19 today, he could be part of Amorim's three-man defence for the long term. He is the same age as Kobbie Mainoo, a midfielder who has had a quiet start to the season but fits the profile the 39-year-old head coach likes.

Then there is Luke Shaw, one of the forgotten men of this United squad. Amorim put his arm around the neck of the 29-year-old and no doubt enquired how he was getting on. Shaw returned to training on the grass just before the international break and is now getting closer to a first appearance for the club in nine months.

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The fact he has played for England in that time is part of the reason why some United fans have given up on Shaw. He worked hard to recover in time to be part of their Euro 2024 squad, was fit enough to start the final against Spain, then returned to Carrington and promptly suffered another setback.

Shaw has now been unavailable for more than 260 United matches since he signed for the club in 2014, and according to Transfermarkt there have been 27 different reasons for absences in that period. They are damning stats for a player who has only played 275 games in a decade at the club.

For that reason, some United fans have given up on Shaw. His fitness record has started to get worse, and the optics of being fit for England but not for United aren't great, even if that is