Luke Shaw to See Specialist over Foot Injury After Ligament Damage Shown in Scan

Manchester United defender Luke Shaw will reportedly likely miss the remainder of the 2016-17 season after suffering ligament damage to his foot in his side's 1-1 draw at home to Swansea City in the Premier League on Sunday.

Shaw was a ninth-minute casualty at Old Trafford, and BBC Sport reported scans revealed ligament damage, with a specialist to be consulted on what treatment the injury will require.

Matt Hughes of The Times reported Shaw could miss part of next season as well.

ESPN FC's Rob Dawson reported sources within the club said the blow could see the England international miss United's last six, potentially seven, games of the campaign and provided quotes from manager Jose Mourinho, who told BBC Sport after Sunday's result:

"I think Luke Shaw's must be a big injury, because to leave the pitch after nine minutes, I am expecting a very big injury. At the moment, we can walk from the bed to the toilet and break a leg."

Shaw's injury is the latest in a recent string of fitness setbacks for the club as Full Time Devils posted a comprehensive list of United's injured stars, including summer additions Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba:

Star centre-back Eric Bailly—who already missed part of this season due to a knee injury and the Africa Cup of Nations—was also hurt against Swansea and is another doubt for the club's upcoming matches.

However, it's in defence that Mourinho now has the biggest concerns, with centre-backs Marcos Rojo, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones already out of action, as is right-back Timothy Fosu-Mensah.

A tough end-of-season run-in continues on Thursday, when United travel to Celta Vigo in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League semi-final, where the hosts should see this as an opportunity to take advantage in the tie.

Sprinkled among home and away games against Celta are back-to-back Premier League fixtures at Arsenal and title contenders Tottenham Hotspur, two of three consecutive league matches away from Old Trafford.

Speaking after the 1-1 draw at home to Swansea, Mourinho said Shaw's blow "has to be a big injury," via BT Sport, although he has hinted at his desire to see his stars tough it out in the past:

Alas, the Portuguese will be disappointed yet another defender won't be able to play through the pain on this occasion, and resources are running dry at Old Trafford at arguably the worst time of the season.

According to Samuel Luckhurst of the Manchester Evening News, the Red Devils' injury woes are so bad the manager may have to call on his academy for Thursday's trip to Spain—but even that's no easy selection:

Matteo Darmian started at left-back in Thursday's 0-0 stalemate against Manchester City and appears likely to do so again in Shaw's absence, while Michael Carrick could partner Daley Blind in central defence.

This is the point at which Mourinho's managerial nous will be put to the test, as a Europa League trophy and a potential top-four finish in the Premier League are on the line with only a handful of games remaining.