Luke Shaw's long-term Manchester United future is in doubt. The 29-year-old has endured a torrid time with injuries, having played just three matches across all competitions this season.

Shaw made his long-awaited return from a calf problem for Ruben Amorim's first game in charge - a 1-1 draw at Ipswich Town in November. He came off the bench for subsequent matches against PAOK and Everton, before suffering yet another setback.

The England international hasn't played a single minute since then, missing the last 17 games. Amorim admitted last week that Shaw has a 'small issue' and is fighting to get back fit. While Shaw could return in the not-so-distant future, his injury record is concerning.

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In fact, Shaw has missed more matches for club and country over the last decade and a half than he has played in that time. He has sat out a staggering 330 games since his £30million move to United in summer 2014, compared to making 299 appearances across that period.

It's a worrying trend that could spell the end of Shaw's time at United. The Manchester Evening News understands that Shaw's future is being considered, despite him having until June 2027 left on his contract. It's unclear whether United will tolerate another injury-prone season from Shaw.

With this in mind, what has Amorim said about Shaw since he arrived from Sporting CP? Here, the Manchester Evening News detail Amorim's comments on the 34-capped England star...

'Build his fitness'

In his first press conference after becoming United's new head coach in November, Amorim revealed he doesn't plan on rushing Shaw back and said the club have to "build his fitness".

Amorim said: "But Luke [Shaw], for example, is feeling fine, but we have to build his fitness during games, so we have to be careful. I think he’s a very good player, so I will take care of him and I want these kinds of players that are important in our squad for a long period and not just for a game."

'Very important player'

After Shaw sustained the injury setback in December, Amorim was full of praise for the United left-back - and claimed he is going to be a "very important player" for his side.

"What I said to him, as a coach, is that since I am here, I saw him in the medical department," Amorim told Amazon Prime Video. "I saw him in the gym. I saw him losing weight. I saw him training.

"So he did everything right. Sometimes, when you have one or two injuries, it's really hard to recover. If he continues with this behaviour, doing everything he can, I will be here. All the staff will be here, as long as it takes. We believe a lot in him, he's so important for our team. For the future, I see in this team, Luke is a very important player for us."

'Little bit more time'

Last month, Shaw was spotted back on the grass but Amorim didn't seem confident that he was going to return to competitive action anytime soon, having struggled with so many injuries.

"It can take a little bit more time," Amorim said of Shaw. "I think he needs to train more, to spend more time with his team-mates playing even like normal, small-sided games, not just working alone.

"He stayed there [at Carrington training base] to make a different type of work, he’s going to get together with the team when we arrive and start from there. When I feel it is the right moment, we will start with some minutes in the games."

'Careful with Luke'

Issuing an update on Shaw's condition ahead of United's FA Cup tie with Leicester City last week, Amorim admitted he has got be "careful" with the defender.

Speaking in his pre-Leicester press conference, the Portuguese said: "Luke has one small issue in a different area from the last injury, so we try to be careful with Luke."