Sridhar Bhamidi
Manchester United could be mulling over a defender swap deal with Tottenham as we continue to chase one of their top targets. Manchester Evening News claims that the Red Devils are looking for a swap deal involving Luke Shaw and Danny Rose.
This is no surprise considering the stance of United manager Jose Mourinho on these two players. While Shaw continues to be on the sidelines, struggling to win the confidence of his manager, Rose remains the primary target for the Portuguese.
The 22-year-old Shaw arrived from Southampton in 2014 for a fee of £27m. Although that fee, in the current transfer market, is minuscule, it is still a high price point for a young and unproven defender.
There were many expectations at the club as fans saw him as a natural heir to Patrice Evra while United hierarchy viewed him as a long-term addition to their squad.
However, poor form combined with unfortunate injuries at inopportune times have meant that the youngster has made just 16 Premier League appearances in his debut campaign. Then, a horrendous double leg break suffered during the clash against PSV Eindhoven at the start of the 2015-16 campaign which saw him miss most of the action in his second season.
Since the start of Mourinho era at the club, Shaw’s stock at the club took a further hit with the gaffer’s lack of confidence being a common theme. It even resulted in a public bashing of the player’s attitude as things came to a dead end – almost.
It looks like the relation between the player and the manager has been broken beyond repair as Shaw has made just two appearances for the club this season – both from the bench, in the Carabao Cup.
He even reportedly mentioned his admiration for Mauricio Pochettino and his desire to link with his former manager sometime again in his career. The duo worked together at Southampton before choosing contrasting paths.
Shaw was quoted by The Independent,
“He used to call me his son. That’s how good our relationship was. I’ve had lots of ups and downs, but when I was with Pochettino it was only ever up, up, up.”
“He made me feel that I was the best. He’d show me clips of my games and say, “You could do this better”. Not in a horrible way. Not I could have done better, but I should have done better, because he knows I can be better.”
“I think with Southampton he achieved the impossible. We were one of the best footballing teams in the league… I do hope that I can play for him again one day. And I think he really wants me to play under him again.”
Rose, on the other hand, has already indicated his desire to leave Tottenham and choose a club with a bigger desire for trophies. Mourinho’s interest in Rose is an open secret and it now looks like a swap deal could be on the cards.
Is it something that would keep all parties happy? I feel so!
