Patrick Rees
Manchester United defender Luke Shaw is all set to leave Old Trafford over the summer after being constantly criticised by his manager Jose Mourinho, quotes a report from BBC.
These claims have followed soon after The Sun had quoted that the defender was recently involved in a training ground bust-up with Mourinho prior to the Brighton game. As the source quotes, Shaw wanted to get a clarification on his status at the club, but Mourinho “flew off the handle at him in an extraordinary outburst” which, in one way or the other, has convinced the £70,000-a-week left-back that he has no future at Old Trafford.
But despite the bust-up, the 22-year-old was given the nod ahead of Ashley Young in United’s FA Cup quarterfinal clash against Chris Hughton’s Brighton. But with him failing to live up to the expectations, Mourinho decided to take him off by the stroke of half-time.
And when quipped about his decision, Mourinho publicly criticised not just Shaw, but his other full-back, Antonio Valencia, as well. The Portuguese explained that he wanted both Shaw and Valencia to be aggressive and at the same time, defend Brighton on the channels.
“We worked on certain kinds of movements, where it was really important the two full-backs were aggressive, created space for Matic and were in front of the two central defenders. I didn’t have that.”
The manager further quoted that he could have taken off both but since Valencia was performing his defensive duties perfectly, he opted to bring Shaw off for Ashley Young. (BBC)
“I could have changed both of them at half-time. I didn’t change both because it was too aggressive to do it. I would only have one more change available to make in 90 minutes.
“I had to change one and I chose Luke because at least Antonio defensively was capable of good positioning. Luke, in the first half, every time they came in his corridor, the cross came in and a dangerous situation was coming. I was not happy with his performance.”
Shaw, who has made 7 Premier League appearances thus far, sees his current Manchester United contract running until 2019 but the defender might not wait until then. As BBC say, he is greatly upset with the way Mourinho has treated him which literally includes a media humiliation. The left-back has been massively criticised in the past and back in April, Mourinho actually questioned his commitment on and off the field.
“I cannot compare the way he trains and commits, the focus, the ambition. He is a long way behind,” he said.
Shaw moved to Manchester United back in 2014 from Southampton and till date, has made 62 appearances in all competitions. Shaw’s contract was due to expire at the end of the current season but United decided to trigger their option of extending his stay by another year. But despite this, it is expected that he would be sold in the summer.
