Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw could return from a double leg break before the end of the season, and is aiming to make England’s Euro 2016 squad.
The 20-year-old suffered the horrific injury in September last year when United were beaten 2-1 by PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League group stages.
Hector Moreno’s tackle on Shaw halted his season, a campaign which had begun excellently for the defender as he impressed on United’s left wing.
With an injury like Shaw’s United manager Louis Van Gaal has insisted on several occasions that it is difficult to predict when the Englishman will return to action, though it seems that Shaw’s rehabilitation has gone well and he could be back in full first team training sooner rather than later.
United fans will hope that the defender's return from injury will come at a time where United find themselves in the latter stages of the Europa League or the FA Cup.
Shaw joined United in the summer of 2014 as an exciting prospect after impressing at Southampton under Mauricio Pochettino.
In his debut season, the Englishman struggled to hold down a regular first-team place as he came to terms with life at Old Trafford, though particularly in the early stages of this season it seemed the youngster was beginning to fulfil the potential he showed down on the south coast.
What might have been
The loss of Shaw this season has been a big blow to United who have continued to change their back four regularly due to other injuries amongst the squad.
Cameron Borthwick-Jackson and Marcus Rojo have both deputised for the former Southampton youngster, but it seems clear that when fit, Shaw is in fact United’s first-choice left-back.
With United struggling in large parts of the season for creativity throughout the squad, it is worth considering what might have been if the defender's injury had not occurred.
With his direct attacking style on the left hand side twinned with his pace, Shaw looked set to continue his early season form and become a key figure for United.
The youngster will now look to kick on in his rehabilitation and return to the squad at an important time, as United look to turn a season, which for so long looked disappointing, into a successful one.