Luke Shaw points blame for injury woe after being forced to take Man Utd gamble

“I then trained the day before the game (at Luton) – and if the manager asks me to play, I’m never going to say ‘no.’ But I shouldn’t have played. It’s kind of everyone’s fault. Partly my fault, partly the medical staff. I think everyone would admit that.”

Ten Hag has argued that a catalogue of injuries were behind a dreadful season which saw United finish eighth. The Dutchman is yet to hear whether beating City at Wembley has saved his job – but co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has ordered an investigation into why the casualty list was so crippling.

But to add insult to injury, Shaw was devastated when fans questioned his commitment to the club when it became clear there was a chance he would make the plane for the Euros.

He said: “I got a few people coming up to me, saying ‘how can you not be fit for United but fit for England?’ No one knew the situation. I was actually very close to returning to team training.

“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 ended up getting another injury in my hamstring. It was three weeks from the final and they (the doctors) said it was a six-week injury.

“It’s been disappointing for me, but I want to do everything I can, first and foremost, for United. I have always said that the United team comes before everything for me – and that will never change.”

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