[Pogue Mahone]

@Pexbo

He's no less "match ready" than Ashley Young who was in the running for MOTM last time he started a game. Ditto Mikhi when he belatedly became a first team regular.

Whatever training regime we're using the players don't seem as dependent on "match rhythm" as they were under Van Gaal.

 

[MadMike]

Yep I thought it was a bonkers amount to spend on him when you bought him but I guess if he had worked out it might have been good business but it's a hell of a lot to pay for a kid with potential, especially when that kid is a left-back. He wouldn't be worth half that now. You are going to have one hell of a hard time shifting him if you do decide to sell him given his injury record, lack of good performances in last few seasons and the wages I assume he is on.

Shaw is entering the final year of his contract (we have + 1 year option tho), he's had a horrendous injury, he has not really played any football in 3 years and he's had his attitude & fitness questioned by previous and current managers. His value is at rock bottom, he's basically a write off atm. I doubt anyone would even spend a £10m transfer fee on him, given the high risk of having to pay his salary for the next 3-4 years with Shaw doing actually nothing and 0 resale value after that.

The best option for Shaw and United is for him to go out on loan in the summer to one of the bottom PL teams. Maybe a new manager, a change of scenery and the lower expectations will help him start again. If he does nothing during his loan, his contract runs down and that it. If he plays and does well then we activate the contract extension and options open up. The team he was loaned out to might decide to buy him for ~£10m or if him and Mourinho want to give it another go, he might come back.

 

[Pexbo]

@Pexbo

He's no less "match ready" than Ashley Young who was in the running for MOTM last time he started a game. Ditto Mikhi when he belatedly became a first team regular.

Whatever training regime we're using the players don't seem as dependent on "match rhythm" as they were under Van Gaal.

You're misinterpreting my use of the word in Shaw's context. See this post:

Yeah but not quite in the sensational statement "He is suffering from depression" like some have claimed. I said in this thread that I think the scenario is probably something like:

Due to the horrific nature of the injury he probably finds himself hesitating or not commuting to tackles properly or/and he avoids dribbling/running into a sea of defenders. There's a bit of a mental block there.

When I was younger I came off my bike around a roundabout and face planted the concrete. It took me years to have proper confidence around corners again as I felt like leaning into them would slip my wheels out from underneath me again. No matter how much I tried to convince myself it was safe because I'd done it successfully thousands of times before, my brain made the balance feel wrong and unstable.


I imagine Luke has a similar sensation when he throws his leg into a challenge. Or is about to be slide tackled. As such his instincts will have him making the wrong decisions.


If that's the case, it's understandable that Mourinho isn't giving him game time even in the reserves as not only can it make it even more dangerous for him, it also means Mourinho cannot fully trust him to do his job properly on the field.

What if a big strong winger was about to blast past him and get into a good position to cross, would Shaw have the confidence to put in a big tackle to stop him?


I think it's something along those lines and Mourinho understands and is letting him go through the process of overcoming it properly, no doubt working very closely with a sports psychologist.

When I say he's not "match ready" I'm saying I don't think he's in the right mindset to be playing full contact competitive football. It's total speculation of course but despite @Damien's point about Mourinho not using the reserves for first team players, I don't see why he wouldn't make an exception for a 20 year old who had a year out due to injury.

If he was in any fit state to be playing matches and was fourth choice for his position (at 20 years old) and Mourinho was telling him he doesn't let his first team players play reserve football (despite letting Bailly play) then his agent would be kicking up a storm.


I think there's obviously an issue there and as he's been training for a while now you've got to wonder if it's a psychological one related to his injury.

 

[Santoryo]

Didn't Mourinho recently said Shaw isn't going anywhere? So about we wait and see what happens.

No one here knows what's been going on nor are any of those stupid click bait pieces coming out reliable. So better wait and see things unfold.

 

[Santoryo]

It's actually pretty funny how predictable this cycle about players off fields stories come out.

No one seems to know what players are up to off field nor anything to report in the papers but as soon as they hit a rough patch, struggle a bit then your average modern journalist come up with some wierd story out of left field and the naive consumers buy it.

We went through this with Miki, Martial etc. They got accused of not working hard, weak mentalities(I especially remember the Miki ones with pages and pages of essay about him refusing penalty duties, crying etc )

It's the same thing over again. When the Shaw bit is done, whoever poor fella get dropped and struggle to get back in the team will have stories about his supposedly off fields issues, his mentality will be put in question etc.

Same story, different player. As predictable as it gets.

 

[Baxter]

Didn't Mourinho recently said Shaw isn't going anywhere? So about we wait and see what happens.

No one here knows what's been going on nor are any of those stupid click bait pieces coming out reliable. So better wait and see things unfold.

Yeah said it was out of the question we'd sell.

 

[Santoryo]

Yeah said it was out of the question we'd sell.

But because he didn't feature against Blackburn right after Mou saying that, people quickly jumped back to saying he's gone. Fickleness.

 

[Boycott]

I trust the manager to handle this right. While he has had naysayers over his price tag from day one, there is no question the level of talent he has. For a teenager to make PFA Team of the Year shows his value among his peers.


1) he's a teenager who has been propelled to stardom - in his position it's not easy either. There was no experienced hand to guide him as Evra was let go [along with Vidic and Ferdinand but those two were on the way down]. He had a lot to learn and on the biggest stage it was a hiding to nothing.

2) He then knuckled down and demonstrated his talent [Chelsea away in 14/15 where he bossed the left flank] and more recognised the start of 15/16. We saw a player who was charging up and down, playing incisive passes and elevating the speed of our game. Then the injury comes - a big blow for a seasoned pro never mind a young kid. Talk about mentality needed in sport all you want - but on a human level people deal with blows differently. There is no shame in it. If he's going into challenges in training not fully committed because there is a mental block then he shouldn't be judged on it...he should be helped. And again I trust he is because this is a player who was bought with the next decade in mind. We shouldn't let an unfortunate set of circumstances curtail it.

 

[Nucks]

That is complete and utter, absolute nonsense.

A fit Shaw was always a top quality defensive fullback before anything else. His attacking contribution was what needed improving the most. He was beginning to learn how to support his winger but he was never "a revelation going forward" at all. He was a revelation defensively.

I'd be surprised if you actually watched him play with the description you've just given. That's just stereotypical "he's a young pacy fullback so he must have been a good attacker and rash/lazy in defence". So far from the truth.

Except, evidence from the start of last season supports this.

He was one of our only creative threats last season for the short stint he was healthy before that horror leg break. He was, arguably our best offensive player in that span. In the same span, 2 or 3 goals came directly through a position he was responsible for defending, after a marauding run.

Did you even watch the beginning of last season?

 

[Floyd]

A real shame this season's a write off for him.

He would've been the perfect partner to Valencia who storms forward at any given opportunity. Shaw is a rare player in the sense that he's a young and extremely fast full back, who's actually a lot better in defence than attack. It's usually the other way around. Just what we could need to counter Valencia's running up field.

A fit Shaw just cannot to beaten in a one-on-one, and by that I mean both pure pace and pure trickery, you can't get passed him. His only defensive weakness has been positioning, but that should really by less of an issue if he's told to cool down on his offensive raids. Once he gets his touch and feel fully back he could start making some offensive contributions again.

A Valencia and a fully fit Shaw as full backs would be a sight to behold.

If all this sounds a tad too optimistic, how about this for realism:

He can't be worse than Rojo and Darmian at left back, can he?

 

[Floyd]

Except, evidence from the start of last season supports this.

He was one of our only creative threats last season for the short stint he was healthy before that horror leg break. He was, arguably our best offensive player in that span. In the same span, 2 or 3 goals came directly through a position he was responsible for defending, after a marauding run.

Did you even watch the beginning of last season?

I did. He was excellent. He was like a love child of Stuart Pearce and Patrice Evra. I even bought a Shaw shirt and I hadn't bought a replica for what 10 years.

 

[TwoSheds]

I did. He was excellent. He was like a love child of Stuart Pearce and Patrice Evra. I even bought a Shaw shirt and I hadn't bought a replica for what 10 years.

With a touch of Justin Bieber thrown in

 

[Ixion]

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[3KDré]

Fantastic news. Hope he kicks on from there.

 

[ovoxo]

I'm excited to see him play again! Seems like an eternity since we last seen him. I hope he kicks on and makes that LB spot his own. He has the talent, but after the injury I think it's mentality affected him, which it is bound to do. Hopefully now he can play with a clear head and take this chance.

 

[settembrini]

Really hope he starts and plays well.

 

[Special_One]

Can't see him starting, but it's amazing to see him in the squad!

 

[K2K]

I think Jose has shown with Mata, Micky, Martial and Bastian that if he gives you a second shot and you take it, he will play you.

Up to Shaw to take his.

 

[AR87]

Didn't even see this before I submitted my lineup predictions with Shaw starting tomorrow! Hope he shows his best.

 

[OnlyTwoDaSilvas]

I think Jose has shown with Mata, Micky, Martial and Bastian that if he gives you a second shot and you take it, he will play you.

Up to Shaw to take his.

I agree. Though much harder for a full back to put in a star performance. Martial and Mkhi put their own name in lights by scoring goals. That can't be expected of a left back, obviously. But you'd also hope Shaw doesn't try to do too much to get his place back, doing stepovers and Cruyff turns in his own third like he's Alex Buttner.

But surely, a rusty Luke Shaw regaining match fitness should still be better than Rojo or Darmian playing out of position and offering very little.

 

[K2K]

I agree. Though much harder for a full back to put in a star performance. Martial and Mkhi put their own name in lights by scoring goals. That can't be expected of a left back, obviously. But you'd also hope Shaw doesn't try to do too much to get his place back, doing stepovers and Cruyff turns in his own third like he's Alex Buttner.

But surely, a rusty Luke Shaw regaining match fitness should still be better than Rojo or Darmian playing out of position and offering very little.

Mourinho can appreciate a fine defensive perfomance though..

His displeasure with Shaw earlier in the season was with his defending. If performs well defensively I think he will keep his spot.

 

[Roberto420]

Except, evidence from the start of last season supports this.

He was one of our only creative threats last season for the short stint he was healthy before that horror leg break. He was, arguably our best offensive player in that span. In the same span, 2 or 3 goals came directly through a position he was responsible for defending, after a marauding run.

Did you even watch the beginning of last season?

Maybe he looked more attacking as Depay was playing infront of him but i was never impressed with his attacking prowess his defensive ability is`nt in doubt but i think he needs better end product.

How many assists did he create when he was "arguably our best offensive player in that span"?

 

[adamwest]

I agree. Though much harder for a full back to put in a star performance. Martial and Mkhi put their own name in lights by scoring goals. That can't be expected of a left back, obviously. But you'd also hope Shaw doesn't try to do too much to get his place back, doing stepovers and Cruyff turns in his own third like he's Alex Buttner.

But surely, a rusty Luke Shaw regaining match fitness should still be better than Rojo or Darmian playing out of position and offering very little.

Forgot about this guy! What a bloody debut!

 

[Donut]

Mourinho saw Rojo's Southampton performance and thought Shaw can't be any worse. Which he can't.

 

[Sammyjunn]

Maybe he looked more attacking as Depay was playing infront of him but i was never impressed with his attacking prowess his defensive ability is`nt in doubt but i think he needs better end product.

How many assists did he create when he was "arguably our best offensive player in that span"?

He barely has 3 in his entire career. It's pathetic.

 

[Cassidy]

Maybe he looked more attacking as Depay was playing infront of him but i was never impressed with his attacking prowess his defensive ability is`nt in doubt but i think he needs better end product.

How many assists did he create when he was "arguably our best offensive player in that span"?

He played well offensively, very well. However it was only about 7/8 games.
In fact if you watch how he got his injury in the first place, it was from him being very offensive.

Also during that spell I believe he got his first England assist too.

Its only a small subset, but its really a shame that the injury happened and we didn't get to see where it would go.

 

[LouisDanGaal]

I agree. Though much harder for a full back to put in a star performance. Martial and Mkhi put their own name in lights by scoring goals. That can't be expected of a left back, obviously. But you'd also hope Shaw doesn't try to do too much to get his place back, doing stepovers and Cruyff turns in his own third like he's Alex Buttner.

But surely, a rusty Luke Shaw regaining match fitness should still be better than Rojo or Darmian playing out of position and offering very little.

A good fullback performance looks very different but its still very easy to see if they've put in a star performance, although its nothing to do with standing out. All he really needs to do is keep the width and not get sucked into the middle like Rojo did last week, make himself difficult to get past, stay tight with the winger and get forward when he can.

 

[mu4c_20le]

My first thought is that he looks really bulky in that photo. Hopefully he knows what he's doing in the gym and is ready for this.

 

[LouisDanGaal]

Maybe he looked more attacking as Depay was playing infront of him but i was never impressed with his attacking prowess his defensive ability is`nt in doubt but i think he needs better end product.

How many assists did he create when he was "arguably our best offensive player in that span"?

Assists are far too simple a way to look at it. He was excellent in the transition one of our only players who could turn defence into attack. He isn't a good crosser but is good at picking out passes and getting the ball to our forwards in good positions.

 

[MadMike]

Mourinho saw Rojo's Southampton performance and thought Shaw can't be any worse. Which he can't.

Maybe that's true. But also if Shaw is not pulling his weight in training (hypothetically speaking) then picking him above players who really apply themselves would be a quick way to make him big-headed and negatively affect team morale.

I'm happy for him to play whenever Mou feels he's earned. If Mou plays him against Bournemouth it means he's been working hard for his chance and he's happy with him. Which makes me happy in turn, cause I liked Shaw as a player when he was fit.

He's obviously a better LB than Rojo, that goes without saying

 

[Adam-Utd]

He barely has 3 in his entire career. It's pathetic.

What Shaw did do well was carry the ball forward. Sure his final pass was usually the "safe" option, but in a team as slow as ours under LVG he was the pace we needed to get up the pitch quickly.

His assist for Kagawa to score (I think?) was exactly what we expected of him, a late overlapping run and a pull back into the box.

The main thing was though 1v1 he was one of the best fullbacks I've ever seen. Nobody got passed him on the outside. I hope he can get back to that. It showed against Navas that he was slower than before, no chance in his first season would he have been given the run around like that.

 

[Shimo]

Time for him to feel alive tomorrow. Would be such a boost for him and us if from now till the end of the season he can become the main LB. He has a lot of quality and it would mean one less headache to try solve for next season.

 

[Sammyjunn]

What Shaw did do well was carry the ball forward. Sure his final pass was usually the "safe" option, but in a team as slow as ours under LVG he was the pace we needed to get up the pitch quickly.

His assist for Kagawa to score (I think?) was exactly what we expected of him, a late overlapping run and a pull back into the box.

The main thing was though 1v1 he was one of the best fullbacks I've ever seen. Nobody got passed him on the outside. I hope he can get back to that. It showed against Navas that he was slower than before, no chance in his first season would he have been given the run around like that.

But the thing is, whenever Blind played LB, he had attacking more going on. More goals, more assists, more creating chances and same manager, Shaw hesitates a bit too much and his final ball needs some serious work.

 

[Adisa]

I think Rojo's horror show would have played a part.

 

[Adam-Utd]

But the thing is, whenever Blind played LB, he had attacking more going on. More goals, more assists, more creating chances and same manager, Shaw hesitates a bit too much and his final ball needs some serious work.

Yeah theres no denying blind is the more comfortable on the ball but his lack of pace is a real problem against some opponents, if we could fuse Shaw and blind we would be set for life.

 

[Sammyjunn]

Yeah theres no denying blind is the more comfortable on the ball but his lack of pace is a real problem against some opponents, if we could fuse Shaw and blind we would be set for life.

This, I thought Blind handled this better in his debut season but now it's just evident that he's too weak and slow at times. Players like Niang, Adama can just completely destroy him.

 

[Sepukku]

He'd better take this chance. Don't think there will be many more.

 

[Santoryo]

Just read some good things from Mourinho about Shaw. Backed him to get back out there and potentially be a regular first teamer.

This at least will slow down all these talks about Shaw being in the shop window and all that jazz. Thought one would have thought after Mourinho claiming a week or 2 ago that Shaw wasn't going anywhere it'd have made sense to people but unfortunately those claims fell on deaf ears.

 

[ivaldo]

Starts today. Time to prove yourself Luke.

 

[FC Ronaldo]

Mourinho doing his best to take the pressure off in his pre-match interview too; "Not the game of his life".