Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal is of the view that Luke Shaw’s injury could have a galvanising effect on other players as they try to lift the morale of their injured colleague.
The English professional remains sidelined for an unspecified period after he broke his right leg during midweek fixture gainst PSV Eindhoven, and the Red Devils were obviously upset to see him in such painful situation.
However, Van Gaal’s men must shift their focus away from Shaw to Southampton as a victory against his former club would provide a perfect tonic for the bedridden 20-year-old.
When asked about the probability of United bunch growing stronger in the wake such adversity during a pre-match press conference, the Dutchman answered
“It could be [the case]. There was also a question in Eindhoven, in the press conference, about the mental influence of such an injury and I said that I cannot prove that.”
“You cannot see into the heads of the players. I have now read in some papers that some players said it had an influence.
When quizzed about the media reports that Shaw underwent a second surgery in the Netherlands on Friday, the veteran boss elaborated.
“It was to close the stitches or something like that. The pressure was, high and that is why the immediate operation was needed”.
“It was a typical minor operation. It could not be done today, so we have to do it here in Manchester. Now that the pressure is low, he can fly back.”
Manchester United face Southampton at St. Mary’s Stadium on Sunday evening.
