Ethan Laird hasn’t featured this summer due to an ongoing injury issue.
At Manchester United, the squads at all levels are jam-packed with quality. Sadly, there aren’t enough minutes to go around – though this pre-season felt like the ideal opportunity to see what some of the younger guys are capable of.
One of those faces I was personally excited to see was Ethan Laird. The young full-back has bags of potential and it always felt like this would be the right moment to see what he can do with the senior squad.
Sadly, we haven’t seen Laird at all – now we know why. The story comes from the Manchester Evening News, who state that the talented 19-year-old starlet has been missing from pre-season training due to an ongoing injury issue.
Apparently, Laird is still struggling with a problem that he picked up on the final day of last season while playing for MK Dons on loan. That said, club sources are ‘confident’ the right-back will be fit before the season starts.
Laird, who has made two appearances for the senior team, doesn’t know where he’ll be playing his football next season as no decision has been made by United yet.
There’s a belief that Laird is now ready for a loan spell in the Championship following his League One exploits last term. However, there could be a first-team opening there, depending on whether United sign defensive reinforcements this summer.
All the talk has been about potentially signing Kieran Trippier, though why not allow Laird to back up Aaron Wan-Bissaka this season, with a view to the pair going toe-to-toe for the starting job in a year or two. Laird is definitely good enough…
Is Ethan Laird good enough for the Man United first-team? Let us know your thoughts in the comment box below.
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