Manchester United: Louis van Gaal says Luke Shaw has suffered a double fracture in his leg

Manchester United have confirmed that Luke Shaw has sustained a double fracture in his right leg following a tackle by PSV Eindhoven defender Hector Moreno in their first group game at Amsterdam. The defender was stretchered off after 20 minutes following which the Red Devils gave up a one-goal advantage to lose the game 2-1.

Shaw tried a solo run into the box, skipping past two defenders and was about to pull the trigger when Moreno lunged at him. With the challenge, Moreno not only took the ball but also left the 20-year-old in a heap. The injury brought back memories of Aaron Ramsey's leg break against Stoke City when a challenge by Ryan Shawcross put him out of action for over a year.

Louis van Gaal is hopeful that the player will be available in four to six months, but has to wait for a proper prognosis on the extent of the injury. It is a major blow for both Shaw and United as the defender had started the season on a high and was voted their player of the month for August.

"I'm not a doctor, so I cannot say, but when you have a double fracture it is four to six months. But you can never say that in advance. He won't play in the group stage, I don't think. I hope he will play again this season," Van Gaal told United's official website.

The manager believes the tackle deserved a penalty and a red card, but the referee obviously disagreed with that assessment. It would have been a long route up for PSV had they gone down to 10 men and a goal behind.

"When I say it's a penalty and a red card, I'm a bad loser. It was a bad tackle with two legs. Every word I say is always interpreted in the wrong way. It was in the 16 metre and it was a very bad tackle, with two legs," Van Gaal said.

"He [Shaw] shall be operated in Manchester. It's awful. He's an 18-year-old boy who comes to Manchester and his first season is very difficult. Then he has a fantastic second season and this happens. When he came into the dressing room he had an oxygen mask and was crying," he concluded.