'Frustrating' - Manchester United's longest serving player might receive a surprise at Old Trafford

It was great to see Luke Shaw take part in Manchester United training at Carrington on Friday morning. Shaw took part in the warm-up with the players who didn't start against PAOK on Thursday and his return to grass indicates an inclusion to a matchday squad is imminent.

The defender is not expected to be involved against Leicester but should be available after the international break, which is a boost for Ruben Amorim. It's incredible to think Shaw last played for United on February 18 - 265 days ago. He was substituted at half-time against Luton Town in his last appearance and hasn't been seen since in a United shirt, despite playing for England at last summer's European Championship.

Shaw was unavailable for England during the Euro 2024 group stage in Germany but featured in the knockout rounds and made his first start of the tournament in the final against Spain. The optics of playing for England when he missed the second half of United's season weren't ideal, although Shaw provided insight into how 'frustrated' he'd been during 2023/24 after the FA Cup final, writing to fans on social media to reflect on a mentally challenging year.

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"Happy for the boys to lift the trophy at the weekend and finish this season on a positive," Shaw wrote. "As much as it was the result I wanted it was hard to watch from the stands. This has definitely been the most frustrating season for me, I have had set back after set back and have worked so hard to get back to fitness but things just haven’t gone my way.

"I pushed so hard to get back before the end of the season and the final but some things just aren’t meant to be. There’s nothing I want to do more than play and win with Manchester United.

"I don’t normally react to things I see on social media but there’s a lot of people questioning my loyalty to this club and asking how I am fit for England but not United. The reality is I am not 100% fit for either right now but I am doing everything I can and constantly working to be.

"I have been at this club for 10 years through highs and lows and for anyone to question my loyalty is obviously frustrating. I appreciate I haven’t updated you all with my injuries and where I’m at with my recovery but equally the most important thing to me is that we’re supporting the team playing. My biggest focus right now is being fit and then whatever happens this summer I will be ready. Thank you for your patience."

Unfortunatley for Shaw, he suffered another setback when he reported for pre-season in Manchester and the club confirmed he would miss the 'opening few' Premier League games. The statement confirming Shaw's injury was released on August 13 and if he is absent tomorrow he will have missed 11 league games.

The hope is when Shaw returns, which could be against Ipswich Town later this month, the careful handling of him will pay dividends and he will maintain a clean bill of health.

The elephant in the room is his injury record, though. Shaw is the longest serving player at the club and it was the 10-year anniversary of his transfer to United from Southampton in the summer, but he's only been available for 70 per cent of games in a season twice since 2014.

Shaw's decade spent in Manchester has been plagued by injury, with various muscle, hamstring, ankle, groin, foot and head issues cropping up and forcing him to miss fixtures.

To some extent, every fan will feel emphasise with Shaw's situation because he would love to be available for every match, but there are some supporters who have grown impatient. That's why he may have to win over the fanbase again. Shaw should receive a good reception at Old Trafford when he plays but it might not be as warm as he would expect.

Shaw has a lot to prove and hopefully he can get back to his best.