Christian Eriksen could make his long awaited return for Manchester United while Luke Shaw has been ruled out for their upcoming Premier League clash against Everton on Saturday afternoon.

Eriksen’s early return is a huge boost for the club at Old Trafford, which is still in three competitions.

The Danish midfielder, who is 31 years old, hurt his ankle in United’s 3-1 FA Cup win over Reading and was expected to miss the rest of the month.

“At first we feared we had lost him for the whole season but he worked very well,” United boss Erik ten Hag said on Friday.

“I think the medical department did really well… he is already returning to the squad and so is available for the final stages of the season. We are very pleased with that.”

Shaw was taken off early in Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Brentford, so he won’t be able to play when Everton comes to town.

Ten Hag said that he would watch the England defender’s recovery over the next week to figure out how long he would be out.

The Dutch manager hopes that United can build on their win against Brentford. This came after a lacklustre loss to top-four rivals Newcastle last weekend.

“You have to do it every game,” Ten Hag said. “It has to be the standard when you are playing for Manchester United. No buts or ifs.

“You have to do it and that’s the responsibility a player has to deliver when you are playing for Manchester United — you have to be accountable.

“Players who are not at the absolute top, they can do it once but from a player who is playing at the top and competing for trophies and competing to win the Premier League, you have to do it always and be consistent.”

In the next two weeks, United will play five games that could make or break Ten Hag’s first season as manager.

In the Europa League quarterfinals, the Red Devils will play Sevilla over two legs. On April 23, they will travel to Wembley to play Brighton in the FA Cup semi-finals.

Before then, United has games against struggling Everton and Nottingham Forest that they should be able to win. These games give United a chance to strengthen their hold on a spot in the top four.

Photo by EPA/Andy Rain