Yeah but not quite in the sensational statement "He is suffering from depression" like some have claimed. I said in this thread that I think the scenario is probably something like:
Due to the horrific nature of the injury he probably finds himself hesitating or not commuting to tackles properly or/and he avoids dribbling/running into a sea of defenders. There's a bit of a mental block there.
When I was younger I came off my bike around a roundabout and face planted the concrete. It took me years to have proper confidence around corners again as I felt like leaning into them would slip my wheels out from underneath me again. No matter how much I tried to convince myself it was safe because I'd done it successfully thousands of times before, my brain made the balance feel wrong and unstable.
I imagine Luke has a similar sensation when he throws his leg into a challenge. Or is about to be slide tackled. As such his instincts will have him making the wrong decisions.
If that's the case, it's understandable that Mourinho isn't giving him game time even in the reserves as not only can it make it even more dangerous for him, it also means Mourinho cannot fully trust him to do his job properly on the field.
What if a big strong winger was about to blast past him and get into a good position to cross, would Shaw have the confidence to put in a big tackle to stop him?
I think it's something along those lines and Mourinho understands and is letting him go through the process of overcoming it properly, no doubt working very closely with a sports psychologist.
23
