Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho has been critical of Luke Shaw’s performances many times in the past couple of seasons.
Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho is set to provide left-back Luke Shaw with another lifeline to resurrect his faltering career at the Old Trafford, as per reports from the Independent.
The 22-year old joined Manchester United back in 2014 from Southampton in a £30 million deal, as the club looked to replace former left-back Patrice Evra, who departed that same summer. After showing promise initially, Shaw has failed to live up to the expectations that were placed on him following the switch.
Injuries and inconsistent displays have stunted the England international’s development at Manchester United and things have failed to improve for him under Mourinho.
The former Chelsea and Real Madrid man preferred veteran Englishman Ashley Young over Shaw as the first-choice left-back last season, affording little game time to the former Southampton man. The Portuguese has come out in public and criticized Shaw on a number of occasions during his tenure, which was understood to have led to friction between the pair.
And with Shaw’s contract with the 20-time English champions running out next summer, he was widely expected to leave the Old Trafford in the ongoing transfer window. And the fact that Manchester United were aggressively trying to sign Brazilian full-back Alex Sandro from Juventus only added fuel to fire.
However, it seems that Mourinho has brought the pursuit of the Brazil international to an end and has decided to back his current left-backs, Young and Shaw, to come good next season.
Netherlands international Daley Blind is widely expected to leave the club this summer and so is Matteo Darmian, with a move to Juventus understood to be in the works for the Italian. That would mean Young, who is currently with the England squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, will continue as the first-choice with Shaw acting as his deputy in the 2018/19 campaign.
Although, Mourinho can also lean on Argentine defender Marcos Rojo, who can play as a left-back while new signing Diogo Dalot, who recently arrived from FC Porto, will also offer an alternative for the manager.
Shaw, since arriving at Manchester United, has gone on to make 66 appearances across all competitions for the club but is yet to score a goal. There is no doubt over the talent and the potential that he possesses, but the 22-year old will need to dig in and apply himself, if he is going to win back Mourinho’s trust and reclaim his spot in the starting XI next season, now that the manager has decided to stick with him and give him another lifeline.
