LONDON: Howard Webb, the 2010 World Cup final referee, says Italian official Nicola Rizzoli was right to take no action against PSV Eindhoven's Hector Moreno for the challenge that left Manchester United defender Luke Shaw facing at least six months out with a double fracture of the right leg.
Moreno, who was not cautioned or dismissed by Rizzoli for the first half challenge, ended the 2-1 Champions League victory against United having been nominated as man of the match by Uefa - a decision which left United staff "stunned and dismayed" by the apparent insensitivity of the award, voted for by Uefa's match reporting team.
Louis van Gaal, the United -manager, insisted that Moreno's challenge - dismissed as an "accident" by the PSV player - merited both a red card for the Mexican
defender and a penalty for his team in the Philips Stadion on Tuesday. But while Graham Poll, the former Premier League official, said Rizzoli should have taken action following the "excessive force" of Moreno's challenge, Webb insisted that Rizzoli made the right call.
"Luke Shaw's injury was awful and I wish him a speedy recovery," Webb, who now works as a pundit for BT Sport, said. "But the referee made the right decision. Moreno stretches with his right leg, which plays the ball cleanly. His left leg makes some contact on the follow-through, but it is always tucked away under him and not aimed towards Luke Shaw. Luke is unlucky in that he gets his studs caught and twists, which causes the injury, but on the night, I think the referee made the right decision."
United's anger at Moreno's challenge was exacerbated by Uefa's -decision to select the player as man of the match, however. The former AZ Alkmaar centre-half was also praised for his "prowess in the air" and described as a "rock at the back" for PSV by the Uefa reporting team, who chose the 27-year-old as the Group B fixture's outstanding player. United players and staff were left surprised by the decision, a club source saying: "We find it strange and disappointing that Uefa made him their man of the match after what happened to Luke."
In response, Uefa insisted that the choice of Moreno was simply a continuation of normal procedure in Champions League fixtures. A Uefa spokesman said: "The man of the match is selected by the Uefa reporting team on site at every Uefa Champions League match."
Having been taken to hospital in Eindhoven while the game was still -being contested, Shaw ultimately underwent surgery in the early hours of yesterday to repair the fracture of his right tibia and fibula. Neil Hough, United's head physiotherapist, did not report back to the team's hotel until 1am, with club secretary John Alexander returning with Shaw's suit and bag while the 20?year-old's parents remained by his bedside in hospital.
With Shaw avoiding the more problematic compound fracture - typified by the broken bone protruding through skin - it is hoped that the clean break will heal within six months, raising the outside prospect of the player returning to -action this season and potentially representing England at Euro 2016.
However, in the immediate term Shaw will remain in Eindhoven -until the weekend before flying back to Manchester to begin his
rehabilitation. A United spokesman said: "Luke underwent surgery for his injury and will remain in hospital in Eindhoven to continue his early recovery. Manchester United are grateful for the excellent care he is receiving and would like to thank everyone who has sent messages of support."
Moreno, who sustained a broken leg while playing for Mexico against Van Gaal's Holland at last year's World Cup, insisted that his part in Shaw's injury was unintentional, with the former Espanyol player also apologising for the consequences of his challenge. "I don't know what happened, I don't remember," Moreno said. "I just feel really bad because I was involved in the accident. I feel really sorry."
When asked whether his challenge was a foul, one which merited action by referee Rizzoli, Moreno said: "I think not. I think I played the ball, but in this kind of situation I don't care if it was a foul, I feel bad for him, for his family.
"I don't know how bad it is. I had myself that situation like that during the World Cup and it's bad. It's difficult to say what happened. Now I just hope he will be back as soon as possible."
Meanwhile, PSV have confirmed that midfielder Andres Guardado was also taken to hospital after the United game to undergo an MRI scan after sustaining suspected
ankle ligament damage following a challenge by Chris Smalling.