Manchester United and Chelsea were dealt injury blows on Saturday as full backs Luke Shaw and Reece James were both taken off injured during their respective Premier League matches against Aston Villa and Manchester City on Saturday. 

United welcomed Villa at Old Trafford as champions City travelled to European champions Chelsea to kickstart matchday six of the Premier League. And England internationals Shaw and James were both unable to last 45 mins in their respective games.

James was replaced by veteran defender Thiago Silva at the 29th minute mark, with Shaw giving way for Diogo Dalot five minutes later at Old Trafford. 

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There is no confirmation so far on the extent of their injuries, with both the medical teams of the clubs currently assessing the players. The knocks are likely to force both Thomas Tuchel and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer into tactical and selection changes in the coming weeks. 

Meanwhile, United centre-back Harry Maguire was also forced off thorugh injury in the second half. He was replaced by Victor Lindelof in the 67th minute. 

The injuries will be especially hard-hitting for United, as both defenders had played every single minute in the 2021-22 Premier League season so far. 

“Both defenders have been ever-present in the league so far for the Reds and their early departure will be a concern for boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ahead of a key week, with Villarreal due to visit Old Trafford in the Champions League on Wednesday,” the club said in a statement. 

In his post-match comments, Solskjaer said “at the moment they (Shaw and Maguire) don’t look ok for Wednesday but let’s see”. “We’ll use tomorrow and Monday or when we get the scans done and see how they are,” he added. 

Meanwhile, Tuchel said “I don’t know about Reece at the moment. He twisted his ankle and it was very painful for him. I have no other news on him at this stage but let’s see how he is in the next few days.”