Manchester United vs. Southampton: Takeaways from Louis Van Gaal's Presser

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal spent a lot of time talking about star defender Luke Shaw and the unfortunate injury he suffered against PSV Eindhoven in midweek, telling reporters during his press conference ahead of Sunday's match against hosts Southampton that the young left-back could return to Manchester on Saturday.

Shaw had surgery in the Netherlands to repair the double leg fracture he suffered early in the UEFA Champions League match against the Dutch champions, and as shared by the Daily Mirror's David McDonnell, Van Gaal says the England international sounded “very strong” when they spoke on the phone on Thursday:

The club provided more quotes from Van Gaal on Shaw's unfortunate injury via their official website, praising the 20-year-old for his superb start to the season before explaining he believes he has plenty of players who can cover for Shaw:

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I have to admit he was strong and firm. It was another look than the day before, so I was happy with that. But of course he knows that it is a long way to go for him. The operation was a good operation. It’s a great loss. I have said in advance of this season already that it shall be the season of Luke Shaw. He has started fantastically and everybody has seen that. Maybe he shall come back tomorrow.

You have to build up again a combination with the player in front of him. Memphis and Shaw were a very combination and now you have to build up a new combination. You have to start again and that is difficult. It’s also difficult for the player who has to replace him. But we have in Blind, Rojo and in Ashley Young, good replacements.

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Daley Blind seems the most logical choice to replace Shaw on the left wing, but after his great start to the season playing in the centre, Van Gaal may prefer to keep his compatriot there for now. Marcos Rojo is another left-footed defensive option, although the Argentinian is a more natural fit in the centre as well.

VI-Images/Getty Images

While Shaw is set to miss plenty of time, Wayne Rooney and Phil Jones are set to return to the squad, with the former expected to play and the latter training with the group, per the club's official Twitter account.

Turning his attention to the task at hand, the United boss acknowledged Sunday's match won't be an easy one, as the Saints are a far better team than their current spot in the standings indicates. Southampton currently sit in 11th place, with six points after five matches, but they've only lost one so far, against Everton in Week 2.

Van Gaal praised the players his compatriot Ronald Koeman has at his disposal:

Morgan Schneiderlin will return to St Mary's for the first time since leaving Southampton for United, although it's unclear whether he'll start after his short cameo appearance against Liverpool.

Summer signing Anthony Martial came crashing back down to Earth in Eindhoven after the sensational start to his Red Devils career against Liverpool, but as shared by ManUtdUpdates, Van Gaal thinks it's only normal for the Frenchman to show some inconsistency at this stage of his career:

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LvG on Martial: "At 19 year old he isn't fully developed. I didn't say I don't count on him for certain games. I have to judge every week."

— Manchester United (@ManUtdUpdates_) September 18, 2015"

With Rooney set to return to the starting XI, Martial will likely return to the bench, where Van Gaal will have the option of introducing him late to take advantage of his raw athleticism against tired defenders if necessary.

The biggest question marks heading into Sunday's match will be Shaw's replacement and the status of Schneiderlin.

The Frenchman would undoubtedly love to start for his new club at St Mary's, but Van Gaal may prefer the central duo of Ander Herrera and Bastian Schweinsteiger once again, while we'll also have our first look at who will be the club's starting left-back for the foreseeable future.

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