Luke Shaw labelled 'most unreliable player to ever wear a Man Utd shirt' after leaving pitch seconds before half-time against Luton - one week on from early substitution at Aston Villa

Shaw went off at half-time as a "precaution" during United's 2-1 win at Aston Villa last week, but recovered in time to return to Erik ten Hag's starting XI at Kenilworth Road on Sunday. However, the England full-back tweaked something with seconds to go until the interval, and signalled to the bench before making his way down the tunnel, with Victor Lindelof brought on as his replacement in defence.

Fans took to social media after the incident to criticise Shaw, who also missed the majority of the first half of the season due to injury. One account named @zeeshankxz wrote: "Luke Shaw subbed off. The most unreliable player to ever wear a Manchester United shirt. Protected by the fans like he is something special. The sooner we move on the better."

Another account, called @TenHagEra, said: "Love him as a footballer and a person, but we might have to buy a Luke Shaw replacement with all these reoccurring injuries.."

With the 28-year-old's latest injury having yet to be specified, fan account @BillyMeredithMU simply asked: "What's wrong with Luke Shaw?"

The same account then added in a separate post: "Left Back needs to be a priority next season. Luke Shaw isn’t reliable at all."

Meanwhile, @UtdXclusive asked: "If Luke Shaw wasn't 100% fit why risk making the injury worse?"

United went on to win the game 2-1 without Shaw, and Erik ten Hag confirmed after the final whistle that it wasn't just a "knock" that forced the left-back off. The Dutch coach added to BBC Radio Five Live when quizzed on the severity of Shaw's injury: "I can’t tell. We have to wait minimum until tomorrow to see what’s going on. Clear, when you come off, it doesn’t look great."

Shaw was one of the most important players in the United squad last season as Ten Hag guided the team to a third-place Premier League finish and Carabao Cup glory in his debut season at the helm. However, the Red Devils have only been able to call upon Shaw for 14 appearances to date in the 2023-24 campaign, and he might be facing another spell on the sidelines after this new blow.

Shaw will now be evaluated by United's medical staff so that a timeframe for his recovery can be put in place. The Red Devils will hope to have him back as soon as possible heading into a crucial period of the season, with a home fixture against Fulham up next on February 24.