Manchester United full back Luke Shaw available again after recovering from long-term foot injury

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Jose Mourinho has confirmed that Luke Shaw is available for Manchester United again after a long-term foot injury, and wants the England defender to prove he deserves a place in his team.

Shaw has not played since suffering ligament damage in a draw with Swansea at the end of April which forced him to miss the end of United’s Premier League campaign and the Europa League final win over Ajax.

It was cruel timing for the 22-year-old left-back who had played his way back into Mourinho’s plans after being subjected to criticism from the United manager during the latter’s his first season at Old Trafford.

Luke Shaw is available for Manchester United again after a long-term foot injury

Jose Mourinho wants the England defender to prove he deserves a place in his team

But Shaw has spent the summer working on his rehabilitation at Carrington and on United’s tour of America, and Mourinho revealed that he is ready to battle Daley Blind and Matteo Darmian for the left-back slot four-and-a-half months after suffering the injury.

Speaking at his weekly press conference to preview Sunday’s game at home to Everton, he said: ‘Luke Shaw is not injured anymore so it’s a question of form, it’s a question of option. But is not injured, he's recovered.’

However, United’s other injured defender, Marcos Rojo, is still some way off full fitness as he works towards a comeback in November or December.

Shaw has not played since suffering ligament damage against Swansea at the end of April

Rojo ruptured a cruciate ligament in his knee in the Europa League quarter-final against Anderlecht in April on the same night that Zlatan Ibrahimovic suffered a similar injury.

The Argentine has returned to light training but is not expected back in action until the end of the year.

Mourinho added: ‘Marcos Rojo is still in the timings of such an important injury. Everything went really well, but he is not training in a normal session, just parts of it. So he probably has a couple of months.’

The 22-year-old has spent the summer working on his rehabilitation at Carrington