Why Manchester United must let go of Luke Shaw this summer
Manchester United endured a frustrating campaign last time out, with a lot of ups and downs in their season. Though the Red Devils finished second in the league, Manchester City’s record-breaking romp to the top made it look far less convincing.
Manager Jose Mourinho will be aiming to make a strong comeback next season after the club also failed to win the FA Cup.
Jose Mourinho has a number of decisions to make this summer before United can get their Premier League campaign underway. The manager is yet to make a decision on Luke Shaw.
The English defender made the move to Old Trafford in the summer of 2014 for a reported fee of around £30million. Since his arrival, the 23-year-old has faced a frustrating spell with the club, often on the sidelines due to his horrendous fitness record.
Shaw has only been able to muster a total of 43 appearances for the Red Devils in his 4 years with the club and that’s a very poor record to have.
Shaw has been largely inconsistent with his fitness and performances at Old Trafford. The defender certainly possesses the qualities to become their first-choice left-back but his fitness issues restrict him from doing so.
After Shaw was pictured looking physically unfit this summer before Manchester United’s pre-season tour, Mourinho seems ready to wait and see how the defender gets himself back to shape.
Luke Shaw has returned to pre-season training early, heading off to Dubai with the club’s strength and conditioning coach in order to get himself back into shape before the start of the new season.
The 23-year-old was only able to muster a total of 8 Premier League appearances last season. He only managed 1 appearance in the UEFA Champions League as well. Shaw certainly possesses all the traits that a quality full-back should but his health record at the club has seen him stay on the bench.
It seems as though it’s about time Mourinho gave up on the defender. The Portuguese manager has been patient with the player and has shown no unfairness in his squad picks.
But Shaw has consistently failed to deliver, which means it’s high time the manager either offloads the former Southampton man or sends him out on loan to gain some match time. It’s clear that Mourinho can’t depend on the defender and the best decision would be to let him go.