Manchester United are currently experiencing a defensive injury crisis. It was hard to tell on Sunday.
They kept a clean sheet in a deserved 1-0 win over Aston Villa and, in the process, became the first team to shut out Unai Emery's side since he returned to the Premier League.
It marked the 15th clean sheet David de Gea has kept this season, moving him two clear of the chasing pack in the race for the Golden Glove, but most remarkably, it was done without their two best defenders.
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United fans had a genuine fear that their season could unravel when Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane were both injured in the 2-2 home draw against Sevilla last month, and although their European dreams came crashing to an end, the response since then has been impressive.
Harry Maguire was dreadful in the humiliating defeat away to Sevilla, but in his place a partnership of Luke Shaw and Victor Lindelof has been brilliant together.
The duo have kept two clean sheets in their three recent performances together and were hardly to blame for the collapse against Tottenham, on a night where the full-backs were well below expectations.
There were a few shaky moments in the FA Cup semi-final win over Brighton, but noticeably fewer against Villa last weekend, evidence of this developing partnership at the back.
Victor Lindelof has once again proven his worth as a top-level centre-back, with the biggest change that he has a defensive partner who compliments rather than contradicts his style of play.
It is a huge credit to Luke Shaw that he has not only been the best left-back in the Premier League this season, but he is also proving himself to be one of the best central defenders in the division as well.
Ten Hag admitted earlier in the season that he has a preference to play a left-footed player in central defence because 'the left-footed are better orientated on the left side, in possession you then have better angles.'
It was for this reason he identified the need for Lisandro Martinez last summer, and it also explains why Alex Telles was deployed centrally in pre-season in order for the team to get used to playing in his preferred style of play.
“I analysed United last year in the left part of the defence," he said last summer. "He [Lisandro Martinez] is left-footed and that is an advantage in possession and defending. And he also brings a South American spirit.”
Shaw might not possess the same South American spirit as Martinez, but he has proven that he has enough technical attributes to be a reliable replacement when required.
The 27-year-old finished the match against Villa having completed 84 passes, nine of which were into the final third. He had 100 touches of the ball, made six recoveries, made three interceptions, and won all but one of his four ground duels.
It was not only a performance that ticked all the boxes from a defensive point of view, but he also made a valuable contribution to their build-up play, which is exactly what Ten Hag demands from his defenders.
The biggest compliment to Shaw is that he has eased the concerns over Martinez's absence, making his return preferable rather than pivotal to their chances of further success this season.
He is still better suited to the full-back role going forward, but the success of Shaw in recent weeks suggests that United already have an ideal Martinez replacement.
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