In the summer of 2014, Manchester United announced the signing of Luke Shaw from Southampton for a reported fee of £30 Million which was a world record fee then for a teenager. Manchester United fended off interest from Chelsea (whom Shaw supported) to sign the talented LB and expected Shaw to be Evra’s successor for the next decade or so.
So, how has Shaw’s United career panned out so far ? In the 2014/15 season, Shaw made 20 appearances in total as he adjusted to the demands of playing for a club like Manchester United. United signed Memphis Depay in the summer of 2015 and Shaw struck up a formidable partnership with Memphis on and off the field. Shaw was about to hit his best form when he was caught in a horror tackle by Hector Moreno in a Champions League game against PSV in September. Shaw suffered a double leg fracture and was out for at least 6 months.
Under Mourinho, Shaw was often called out for his ‘weak’ mentality and was not given a consistent run of games. However, things changed in the 2018/19 season as Shaw was determined to impress Mourinho. Shaw was rewarded with a consistent run of games despite United changing their manager midway through the season. At the end of the season, Shaw was voted Manchester United Players’ Player of the Year and Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year.
| 2018/19 Season | Luke Shaw | Ashley Young | Diogo Dalot |
| Minutes Played | 2592 | 2569 | 1015 |
| Goals | 1 | 2 | – |
| Assists | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| Dribbled Past per game | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.3 |
| Interceptions per game | 0.7 | 1.8 | 0.6 |
| Dispossessed | 14 | 19 | 4 |
| Aerial battles won | 49 | 23 | 22 |
| Tackles won | 29 | 32 | 12 |
| Passing completion | 83.3% | 77.5% | 70.3% |
| Key passes per game | 1.1 | 1.3 | 1.1 |
| Dribbles per game | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.7 |
| Crosses per game | 0.5 | 1.4 | 0.9 |
| Through balls per game | 0.1 | – | – |
| Distance ran per game (km) | 9.98 | 9.66 | 7.45 |
Bearing in mind that Dalot mostly played off the bench, Shaw and Young are pretty similar players with Shaw having a slight advantage in offensive output as compared to Young. Young is also predominantly right-footed and as such, when playing the LB role, he always has to switch the ball from his left foot to his right before passing or sending a cross. This will allow the opposition’s defence to position themselves properly and United would have missed an attacking opportunity.
Dalot is also capable of playing at LB and he seems to be a decent option. With a run of games, his performance might be able to match Shaw’s. Shaw is currently struggling with injury in preseason and I would like to see Ole give Dalot a chance at LB with the RB spot starting to look like it’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s. (AWB has been very impressive so far in preseason and hopefully, he carries it into the normal season)
Shaw likes to make overlapping runs but he definitely has work to do in his crossing department. Most of his crosses hits the first man and if he could make a proper cross, United will have another attacking option from the left. Hence, despite this weakness, Shaw is the best option at LB of the current United options.
However, how does Shaw rank among his peers in the Premier League ? I have selected 3 LBs in the Premier League that plays in a similar system as United do and to ensure a fair comparison, I have chosen one from the Top 4, one from the Top half and one from the bottom half of the Premier League respectively.
| 2018/19 Season | Luke Shaw | Andrew Robertson | Lucas Digne | Charlie Daniels |
| Minutes Played | 2592 | 3219 | 2966 | 1586 |
| Goals | 1 | – | 4 | 1 |
| Assists | 4 | 11 | 4 | – |
| Dribbled Past per game | 0.7 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.4 |
| Interceptions per game | 0.7 | 0.8 | 1.7 | 1 |
| Passing success rate | 83.3% | 83.2% | 76% | 78.7% |
| Key passes per game | 1.1 | 1.4 | 2 | 0.5 |
| Dribbles per game | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 0.6 |
| Dispossessed pergame | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.3 |
| Crosses per game | 0.5 | 0.6 | 2.4 | 0.4 |
| Through balls pergame | 0.1 | – | – | – |
| Distance ran pergame (km) | 9.98 | 10.42 | 9.79 | 8.81 |
As you can see, Charlie Daniels plays in a much weaker side than Shaw does but his defensive stats are much better than Shaw’s. This shows that Shaw has much to do still in the defensive department. The modern fullback in today’s game has to be able to not only provide defensive cover but they also have to be able to supplement the team’s attacking threat.
United mainly plays in a 4231/433 system with the left winger acting like an inside forward as both Martial/Rashford love to cut in and hence, United requires a LB to make lung-bursting runs out wide as this will leave the opposition’s fullback/centreback in a dilemma as to who should they mark. Digne would have been perfect for United and he’s starting to look like a bargain with the reported fee of an initial £18 Million. He’s the designated set-piece taker and United could do with his skill set.
Going back to the main question, here are some of the left-backs that are currently on the market.
| 2018/19 Season | Luke Shaw | Danny Rose | Junior Firpo | Kieran Tierney |
| Minutes Played | 2592 | 1798 | 1937 | 540 |
| Goals | 1 | – | 3 | 1 |
| Assists | 4 | 3 | 4 | – |
| Dribbled Past per game | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.2 |
| Interceptions per game | 0.7 | 0.9 | 1 | 2.2 |
| Passing success rate | 83.3% | 73.7% | 82.9% | 75.7% |
| Key passes per game | 1.1 | 1 | 0.8 | 1.7 |
| Dribbles per game | 0.9 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 1.2 |
| Dispossessed per game | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 1.2 |
| Crosses per game | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 1 |
| Through balls per game | 0.1 | – | – | – |
United have been linked with Junior Firpo but Firpo looks set to move to Barcelona for a reported of €50 Million. The price may be a little steep but Firpo looks to be the real deal. Firpo plays LWB in an expansive Betis side which means he is used to supporting both the defence and attack. He is also one year younger than Shaw.
Tierney has superior stats in both the defence and attack as compared to Shaw. The stats in the above table are from his Europa League games which is a higher level when compared to the Scottish Premier League. For a reported price of £25 Million, Tierney is a steal for any club that signs him. He is also the captain of Celtic at the age of 22 and he would do well in the current United side that lacks direction and leadership. United have been linked to him several times in the past and is the type of signing that Sir Alex Ferguson used to make. However, he looks set to move to Arsenal in the current transfer window and he will definitely bolster an aging Arsenal defence. (Another signing that United will regret not making a move for in the future)
Rose has been left behind by Spurs during preseason and rumours are that Spurs are preparing to offload him. Rose could be a very good backup option to Shaw and he could also provide Shaw with some much-needed competition. However, the thought of having to deal with Daniel Levy again puts me off as he is known to be a tough negotiator and will definitely drive a hard bargain.
In conclusion, Shaw has not lived up to his touted potential when at Southampton and he seems to not have improved from when he joined in 2014. He was said to be England’s LB for the next decade but he is not even called up for the England squad in recent times. However, he is still young and he can still always improve. Maybe United need to sign another LB to provide Shaw with competition to spur him on. Or maybe Shaw has to leave United to improve as he might have grown to be comfortable in the current United environment as many United players have become. Mauricio Pochettino has always been interested in signing Shaw, a player that he coached at Southampton, and maybe reuniting with Pochettino might just be the best option for Shaw to put his career back on track. United should cut their losses and move on if Shaw doesn’t kick on in the upcoming season.
All of the stats above are taken from WhoScored and Premier League
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