Revealed: Luke Shaw closes in on Manchester United return after international break

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Published on:

21 Mar 2016, 6:10 am

By North-west correspondent Alex Stevens

Luke Shaw is in line to start training again next month and remains hopeful of playing again for Manchester United this season,

Football Insider

sources understand.

The left-back, 20, has been sidelined since suffering a double-leg fracture against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League in September.

The injury was so severe that United internally ruled the England international out of playing again this season but Louis van Gaal showed faith in Shaw's powers of recovery by including his name in the squad's Europa League roster.

A United source has told Football Insider that Shaw is ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation and has been pencilled in for a return to training after the international break, although it is likely to be a few more weeks after that before he would be in contention for a first-team return.

England manager Roy Hodgson left the door open for Shaw to return to the national team in a recent series of interviews when he hinted that there could still be a place for the former Southampton man at Euro 2016.

The latest Manchester United injury news is that Hodgson wants Shaw to prove his fitness before 12 May.

"Yeah, absolutely [the door is open]. All that remains is for him to get fit enough to be selected," said Hodgson last week.

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"Luke Shaw's a player we believe in, we think is an excellent talent. We think he will be a major competitor with the other left-backs for a place in the squad."

Southampton's Ryan Bertrand and Tottenham's Danny Rose are the two left-backs named in Hodgson's squad for the upcoming friendlies against Germany in Berlin on Saturday and Holland at Wembley on Tuesday of next week.

Manchester United

Luke Shaw