Luke Shaw rested by Manchester United before Manchester City derby

Luke Shaw was left out of Manchester United’s 4-0 Champions League win over Sabah as a precaution ahead of Sunday’s Manchester derby, manager Michael Carrick said.

The England left-back was not included in the squad for Thursday’s victory at Old Trafford, although Carrick confirmed he had not suffered a serious injury.

“It is partly about managing his minutes,” Carrick told the Mirror. “He came off in the last game against Everton because of a few muscle cramps.

“We did not want to take any risks and tried to manage him carefully. We will see how he is over the next few days.”

Shaw’s absence came before United’s meeting with neighbours Manchester City, suggesting the club’s coaching staff were keen to ensure he was available for the much-anticipated derby.

Patrick Dorgu started at left-back in Shaw’s place and produced an impressive performance. He created United’s opening goal, scored by Matheus Cunha, and helped the home side keep their first clean sheet of the season.

Dorgu was named player of the match by UEFA. After the final whistle, he said: “It was good. I really thank God for giving me the opportunity to play in the Champions League. I am very happy with my performance, and even happier that the team got the three points and started our Champions League campaign.”

He added: “We conceded a lot of goals in the last two games, so it was good to regain confidence before the derby at the weekend.”

Carrick also managed Dorgu’s workload, replacing him late in the game with defender Harry Amass at left-back.

Amass had been absent from United’s squad for their 2-2 draw at Everton in the Premier League earlier this week.

Carrick was pleased with both the defensive display and United’s attacking threat, despite acknowledging that Sabah made the match more demanding than the scoreline suggested.

“It is good to keep a clean sheet and get the win,” said the United manager. “I thought some of what we did offensively was excellent. There were periods when we played very good football and were dangerous in transition.

“We defended well for most of the game, but I have to give Sabah a lot of credit. They are a difficult team to play against. They rely on short passing and combinations between their players, and they make you work hard to win the ball back.

“The scoreline looks comfortable, but it did not feel that way throughout. I think we did a lot of good things tonight, and that is what gave us this result.”