Carlos of Great Britain may miss the World Cup dream, Manchester United benefits! Carrick discusses debut conditions for the £7 million youngster

Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw has been striving to stay fit this season, with one goal being to return to the England squad for the 2026 USA-Canada-Mexico World Cup. Coach Tuchel previously mentioned possibly calling up three United players—Luke Shaw, Maguire, and Kobbie Mainoo—for the March international matches. However, British media reports that Tuchel now favors Newcastle United youngster Lewis Hall and may continue to omit Luke Shaw in the squad announced this week.

The 52-year-old Tuchel has used six different left-backs in his 10 matches as coach, with Myles Lewis-Skelly being the most frequent, but his limited playing time at Arsenal likely means he will now be dropped. Manchester City's Nico O'Reilly has performed well this season, but he has recently been playing in midfield.

Luke Shaw has been absent from the England squad since the 2024 European Championship final and hopes to regain his place. This season, Shaw has participated in all 29 Premier League matches for United, the only player in the team to do so, changing his previous "glass man" image.

However, "talkSPORT radio" reports that Tuchel is more impressed with 21-year-old Newcastle left-back Hall and may select him over Luke Shaw for the World Cup. Hall has already been called up twice for England and performed excellently in this week's Champions League match against Barcelona's Yamal, effectively neutralizing the opponent.

If 30-year-old Luke Shaw misses the England World Cup squad, it could be beneficial for Manchester United. This left-back has previously performed well in major tournaments and then returned to the club injured, which has happened several times. Now older, playing in the summer World Cup would inevitably bring "FIFA virus" risks for next season's club matches.

Luke Shaw, who has served United the longest, is nearing the final year of his contract, and the club may need to find a successor. Last year, United signed 18-year-old Paraguayan left-back Diego León for £7 million, but he has yet to make a first-team appearance. Coach Carrick told the youngster that to debut, he must improve tactical awareness and offensive threat.

León admitted that during his adaptation to team life, he was surprised by the high intensity of training. Since Carrick took over in January, he has spoken with León, pointing out areas needing improvement. "He told me to stay calm, try to improve tactically, and participate more in attacks. But after assisting, I must also defend with the same intensity," León told Brazilian media "Versus Sports."

He added: "Clearly, I still have a long way to go. I just arrived, only 18 years old, lacking in maturity, physical conditioning, as well as tactical and technical aspects. But I feel I'm progressing. The club told me to stay calm because this situation is normal. They also said there's a huge difference coming from Paraguay. I see in the team that to get playing time, I must show more."

León admitted: "Playing in the Premier League is not easy; what surprised me most was the intensity of the matches. On the first day we played a small-sided game, I tried to press an opponent, but before I could get close, the ball was already passed behind me. The pace is so fast that players must react quickly. I immediately realized how big the gap is between this and South American football."

The Paraguayan youngster revealed he has started mastering English, able to hold long conversations with United teammates, earning admiration from other players.

León recalled: "Honestly, it was tough at first; when I arrived, I knew no English at all. When my girlfriend and I went out, people spoke to us, but we couldn't understand, which made me very uncomfortable. When I reached the training ground, teammates wanted to talk to me, but I couldn't communicate, which troubled me greatly. So I told myself: I must learn English."

As United's first Paraguayan player in history, León has set high goals for himself: "One of my dreams is to make Paraguay proud of me and become a legend here at Manchester United!"