Food For Thought – 3 Reasons Why Manchester United Must Hold On To This 21-Year-Old Star

Luke Shaw was one of England’s premier left backs when he made the move from Southampton to Manchester United at the tender age of 18. He was destined for greatness, as he had just represented England in another ill-fated international tournament when he lined up for the Three Lions in Brazil at World cup 2014.

But things have panned out quite differently for the marauding left back who had found it difficult under both Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho. Both have criticized him for his lack of fitness and inability to stay fit at vital times. Sure, Shaw has been very unlucky on the injury front, but it’s usually down to a player to manage his career and take good care of himself, to ensure the recurring injuries don’t show up again and again.

But such has been Shaw’s bad luck that he has barely got a run in the Manchester United first team. Others such as Marcos Rojo and the right-footed Darmian as well as Ashley Young have been deployed at left back at Old Trafford, albeit not with much success. During his time with Southampton, Shaw had proven to be a more than capable left-back that could equally contribute in both defense and attack, but somehow it’s never worked out for him at Manchester United.

Following Patrice Evra’s departure to Juventus, Manchester United have lacked a proper left back and have always relied on players filling in there and this should be a cause of concern for Mourinho who in recent times, despite the 14 match unbeaten streak has found it tough-going, attacking wise. In the wake of such performances, it’s imperative that Mourinho keeps Luke Shaw at Old Trafford.

Here are 3 reasons why –

Luke Shaw has time on his side

Still only 21, Luke Shaw definitely has a lot of time on his hands to get his career back on track. Mourinho has recently confirmed that Shaw has recovered from an injury and that should allow him to take part in first training and also have a say in first team proceedings, where Manchester United currently miss a conventional left-back.

Manchester United are currently missing out on service from the left-hand side

United have always played an inverted winger on the left hand-side, the kind of player that likes to cut in and make central runs. This has always paved the way for the left back to maraud down the line and make an impact on the game. But the likes of Darmian, Young and Rojo are just not explosive enough to cause opposition defences any problems. Luke Shaw, being left-footed, could be the player that solves this issue by playing his natural game.

Lack of left-back options

With Cameron Borthwick-Jackson not quite a trusted deputy (for Mourinho), Shaw remains as the only conventional left back option for Mourinho. Despite the criticism that Mourinho has thrown in his way, Shaw should look to bounce back and prove in training that there’s still a player in him. Mourinho has always tended to award players with what he sees in training and Shaw should look to impress the Portuguese in order to get back into the first-team fold as he could make a difference and provide the service that Ibrahimovic, Mata, Mkhitaryan and co. have been missing.