Mourinho has been able to slowly get the best out of his squad at Manchester United, with the 6th placed team on the Premier League log without a loss in the last 13 league games and just 4 points adrift the Champions League spots.
Despite taking time to finally identify his starting XI, the Portuguese manager still is yet to have a permanent backline, with the left-back role one subject to various changes since Luke Shaw fell out of favour. But United might have identified a solution in Scottish Premiership youngster Kieran Tierney.
The 19-year-old Celtic defender, who is also being monitored by the likes of City, Arsenal and Chelsea is valued around £10million, and his impressive performances under Brendan Rodgers have convinced United scouts of his quality. But should a move for Kieran be completed? And would such be a good move?
With the club having had to deploy Marcos Rojo, Daley Blind, Matteo Darmian and Ashley Young in left-back at various times in Shaw’s absence, that Mourinho’s concerns for not having a steady option for the position would have increased can’t be denied. But an unproven teenager won’t likely be the perfect solution, as even a proven youngster is beginning to look like a doubt to succeed in the position already.
Shaw has shown the watching world his promising talents since breaking into the starting XI at the Saint Mary’s, and that was what prompted the Red Devils’ move that made him the most expensive teenager in history following his £30million switch in the first place.
Yet, an injury setback which has seen him yet to return to his psychological best has made him fallen out of favour and have his United future in doubt. For all the hype surrounding his swift growth at the Celtic Park, which has seen him become a starter ahead of the 30-year-old veteran Honduran Emilio Izaguirre, Kieran Tierney remains largely a gamble for the demands of the top competition the Premier League has to offer.
He might hit the ground running and turn out to be a great signing, or struggle to cope entirely with life in the topflight, but the latter looks more like the most feasible. The 2-time capped Scotland international just haven’t done enough to show he can hold down a regular starting berth as Manchester United’s undisputed first choice left-back.
A couple of Champions League games aren’t enough for Tierney’s C.V to fit the bill for that top job now available at the Theater of Dreams. However, there is no denying that the teenage bag of promises, who was a ball boy on the night Celtic famously beat Barcelona 2-1 at Parkhead back in 2012, has a bright future ahead of him.
An excellent tackler who is hard to beat on one-on-one scenarios, Tierney is more than your average left-back as he combines a perfect blend of top-notch defensive and offensive qualities. His incredible pace and ability to direct the perfect cross into the opposition box makes him a real threat whenever he gets forward, while he has an eye for a goal due to his power-packed shots.
Liverpool and Bayern Munich are also said to be monitoring the youngster’s development, but he has a lot of growing to do, and Old Trafford might not be the most perfect of next-stops for him to continue that. Not even the most experienced of defenders have impressed Jose well enough this term. A 19-year-old playing in one of the world’s less competitive leagues might have a harder time convincing the Portuguese.
Right now, this move doesn’t have all the features to become an instant hit, and United badly need a left-back who will hit the ground running upon immediately arriving at the club. Kieran Tierney doesn’t look like one.
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