Neil Moxley

tors feared the worst. And eerie silence fell over Wembley as medics rushed to the stricken figure, crowding around.

His team-mate, David de Gea, came seventy yards from goal to see if his colleague was going to be okay. He didn’t get too close. He didn’t want to catch any of the bad luck that appears to dog Shaw and his every movement. Superstitious people, sportsmen and women.

And that’s what it appears to be, rotten fortune. Lady Luck turning her back on him.

Applauded

And when Wembley applauded the 23-year-old from the pitch as he was carried off carefully on a bodyboard by eight members of England’s support staff, there was a degree of warmth.

They knew the player’s backstory. When you play for Manchester United you are always in the public eye. Shaw has been a verbal kicking post for Mourinho who has been trying to drag a level of performance out of the £30m defender for over 12 months.

He has used him and abused him. Ashley Young, a converted winger, was preferred to the former Southampton man for long stretches last season.

As a consequence, Shaw’s summer was not spent in Russia but working with a personal trainer. He returned leaner and fitter than he was even when favoured by Louis Van Gaal.

Momentum

He bagged his first goal in the opening game of this season against Leicester City and finally his career was gaining forward momentum.

Last night, it appeared to be picking up speed. But even before the incident, questions were being asked of him.

Another version of Shaw’s career – certainly since arriving at Old Trafford – is that he has taken two steps forward and one backward.

And when Carvajal flicked the ball past and around him just two minutes after Rashford opened the scoring, it was like he was back to square one.

Let’s hope his return is sooner rather than later.

It’s about time Lady Luck stood once more by Luke Shaw’s side.