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Eras, a Dutchman in charge of Manchester United once said, come to an end. Erik ten Hag’s tenure at the club ultimately ended in tears, like Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s before him and Ruben Amorim’s after.
These three managers had little in common beyond the obvious but were linked by a very specific thread, one stretching back to Louis van Gaal via Jose Mourinho. All five, and the assorted caretakers and interim appointments along the way, were able to draw on Luke Shaw at left-back.
The Shaw era
Since his high-profile arrival from Southampton, the Englishman has played alongside over 100 players at United and made 318 appearances. It’s a lot, but not as many as you might think over a near-12-year stint at the club.
He has been hit with injuries traumatic and trifling, missing over 200 games in the process (as per transfermarkt), and this has made him a difficult player to analyse objectively; poor form can often be explained away by ring rust, and there is always a note of sympathy when discussing his flaws.
It would be wrong not to acknowledge that his fitness struggles – particularly his dreadful double leg fracture in 2015 – have cruelly curtailed his potential. But it is also a fact that, now aged 30 and United’s longest-serving current player, he has spent a comparatively short time consistently performing at his best.
Historic season
That said, Shaw is on course for a career first – an uninterrupted campaign in United red with no games missed through injury. Hairs can be split over the club’s embarrassingly short fixture lists and the impact this has had, but it is nevertheless a small cause for celebration.
What’s more, he has mostly been good, or at least a solid presence in a deeply turbulent season. It could be argued that in fits and bursts he found his best post-leg-break form under Amorim and at times under Michael Carrick.
Time to move on
Undoubtedly the stars have aligned for him this season, but he has mostly been undroppable through circumstance rather than performances.
The loan exit of Harry Amass and the reinvention of, then injury to, Patrick Dorgu has left him as the only left-back in the squad, and he has benefitted from Carrick’s understandable reluctance to stick at all costs to a consistent backline.
But with United’s wide attack in a state of confusion Shaw, like Diogo Dalot on the other side, has had his limitations shown up. In 31 games he has produced one assist and no goals, and in the modern game means these numbers really do matter for a full-back, particularly one frequently operating behind makeshift wingers. He is as defensively sound as any of his teammates, but that is not necessarily the same thing as being top class.
Upgrade needed
United, then, must take a pragmatic stance in the summer transfer market and look for an upgrade at left-back. That they’ve got a 30-year-old Shaw playing well is one thing, but whether he will be able to maintain it is another question and whether it is good enough still another.
The club seem to be alive to this, with links emerging to various left-backs – including Maxi Araujo and Antonee Robinson – ahead of what will be a chaotic couple of months, but INEOS mustn’t let the position slip down the priority list when the inevitable scramble for midfielders comes to a head.
Shaw has been a great servant for the club but it is time to quit while ahead and bring the curtain down gracefully – what better way to complete a final season than banishing a ghost which has haunted an entire career?
Featured image Stu Forster via Getty Images
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