United defenders return to training

Truly, the injury gods are smiling down on Manchester United. Ashley Young and Luke Shaw both completed an hour’s worth of game time for the reserves yesterday in their 1-1 draw with Swansea City. After that successful run out, both players are now back in training with the first team squad.

Having missed preseason, and with only an hour’s worth of football under their belts, it would be a surprise to see either involved much before the international break, but it is a welcome boost to have both full-backs (or one full-back and one whatever-Young-is-these-days) available. Shaw’s return could be particularly important. Left-back is a glaring weak spot in the United starting XI, and Shaw is the only true specialist in the squad.

In other good injury news, Marcos Rojo made a surprise appearance at training as well. It’s not clear what his level of involvement was, but having previously been ruled out until at least December, it appears that the Argentinian defender is ahead of his recovery schedule.

With Zlatan Ibrahimović close to fitness and set to re-sign as well, it looks like José Mourinho will have a full complement of players available in just a matter of weeks. Now, let’s all knock on wood.