Bharath Rammr
Manchester United News
Jose Mourinho has confirmed that defender Luke Shaw is unlikely to get back into the team if he does not raise his game. The future of the left back has been under a lot of speculation over the last few months. Signed for a massive £30 million from Southampton in the summer of 2014, Shaw has made a meagre 28 league appearances for the club in this period. The situation was expected to improve when Mourinho was appointed as the club’s new manager in the summer. After all, the Portuguese tried to get the English defender when he was the Chelsea manager.
Shaw has made only one appearance in the 2017 calendar year, and it was the 4-0 win over Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup win pretty much the entire reserve team was being given a run out by the manager. After being omitted for the Europa League squad against St Etienne, manager Mourinho said:
“Luke has to wait for his chance and work better knowing that I give nothing for free.
“When I give something to the players it’s expensive for them, they have to work really hard every day. They have to play well so he has to wait. He has to keep working like (Henrikh) Mkhitaryan for a long time.”
It is not surprising that the Portuguese is sticking with the same kind of routine that he followed with the likes of Mkhitaryan. However, it looks like Shaw may not be around at Old Trafford for a long. There has already been speculation surrounding the future of the 21-year-old. Due to concerns about his international career, Shaw is keen on playing regularly. The first conflicts with Mourinho started back in October when Shaw pulled out of the England international duty and the Manchester United team citing injury troubles.
Shaw’s last appearance in the Premier League was the goalless draw with Burnley back in October stop since then, he has been linked to a handful of appearances in cup competitions like the FA Cup and the EFL Cup. One of the biggest embarrassments for the player will be the omission from the EFL Cup semi-final against Hull City. The defender did not play in both legs. After getting past the Championship outfit, United have set up a date against Southampton this weekend. The club will have the opportunity to win the second major trophy of the season after having been successful in the Community Shield.
After missing out on the Europa League game against St Etienne, it looks highly unlikely that Shaw will be in the reckoning for such a crucial match. With the future of the player in doubt, it remains to be seen if he can make a comeback into Mourinho’s plans like Mkhitaryan or end up leaving the club like Juan Mata did when he was at Chelsea.
