Luke Shaw may hope he is badly injured

It has been a turbulent season for Manchester United's Luke Shaw. Absent from the team and publicly criticised by manager Jose Mourinho, Shaw has redeemed himself of late with a run of appearances for the club. After limping off early in United's draw with Swansea on Sunday, he may actually hope that it is a big injury.

Manchester United have a long list of first team players out injured at the moment, which makes their hectic fixture list even more difficult. Star player Zlatan Ibrahimovic is out for the season and the likes of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones have not been seen since March.

Luke Shaw limped off after nine minutes at Old Trafford on Sunday, something that Mourinho was questioned about following the final whistle. In a very sceptical tone of voice, Mourinho replied to the BBC Sport journalist "I think Luke Shaw's must be a big injury, because to leave the pitch after nine minutes, I am expecting a very big injury."

Although no player wants to be injured, Shaw may face the wrath of the Manchester United manager if he returns to training with a minor injury. Shaw is not the first player to have his mentality questioned by Mourinho, who appears to be frustrated by the same issue regarding the recovery of Smalling and Jones. "I prefer not to speak about Phil Jones and Chris Smalling. I prefer to speak about Juan Mata giving everything to be available. I am grateful for that."

As their list of injuries increases, Manchester United will be hoping that it does not cause their bid for Champions League football to unravel. They still have two opportunities to secure their place in Europe's elite competition next season, via the Premier League and Europa League, although they could still fall short in both competitions.