Three things are certain in life: death, taxes and Jos\u00e9 Mourinho screaming himself blue in the face at Luke Shaw from his technical area.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s no secret there exists some friction between the hapless left-back and Manchester United\u2019s increasingly under pressure boss, and it comes as little surprise to see the club once more linked with Spurs\u2019 Danny Rose. If the transfer rumour mill is to be believed, Mourinho is a big fan, and speculation mounts that he is about to launch another bid to secure his services.<\/p>\n
A year ago, with Luke Shaw appearing bloated, disinterested and tentatively making his way back from a horrific leg break, the pursuit of Danny Rose made some sense.<\/p>\n
But, with Luke Shaw finally fit again and playing well, how much sense does it actually make to pull the trigger and sanction his replacement?<\/p>\n
It seems like Luke Shaw has been around forever, like that unopened jar of coconut butter you bought during a health kick in 2009, but in reality, his career has barely even begun. He made the jump from Southampton to United at the tender age of 19, but still only 22, Shaw has years left to fulfil his undoubted potential.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, Danny Rose is five years Shaw\u2019s senior, and at age 22 was fully embroiled in a relegation scrap with Sunderland. Hardly any more prodigious than Shaw\u2019s current predicament. Yet, with patience and trust, Rose developed into a fine full-back for both Spurs and England.<\/p>\n
And therein lies the problem. Mourinho is hardly renowned for his development of young footballers, least of all left-backs. About the single case he can claim is promoting Davide Santon to the Inter first team in 2008 \u2013 and that turned out well; Santon later went on to play second fiddle to Paul Dummett at Newcastle.<\/p>\n
While Mourinho has bucked this trend and put his faith in the likes of Lingard, Rashford and McTominary this season, Luke Shaw appears to be the anomaly.<\/p>\n
Luke Shaw\u2019s injury problems have been well-documented. A paragon of fitness and vitality at Southampton, he\u2019s sometimes cut a dejected figure at Man United owing to a wretched string of injuries. Just as he was beginning to find form, under Louis van Gaal no less, he suffered a terrible leg break that not only shattered his leg but his confidence too.<\/p>\n
Since then, Shaw has battled an ankle injury and accusations from his manager of not being fit enough for elite level. Sure, he may possess a \u201cfuller\u201d build, but so does Romelu Lukaku \u2013 and at least Luke Shaw can run!<\/p>\n
Similarly, Danny Rose has become rather closely acquainted with the treatment room in recent months. Plagued by a serious knee injury and with only five league appearances to his name this season (and a mere 18 last campaign), Rose is no more trustworthy in terms of being fit for selection than Shaw.<\/p>\n
This makes the situation even more baffling to the eyes of United fans. Mourinho has been vocal about Shaw\u2019s fitness problems in the past, yet appears quite willing to fork out \u00a340 million for a left-back who\u2019s only played 24 times in two seasons.<\/p>\n
While \u00a340 million isn\u2019t a lot of money in today\u2019s footballing climate (read: Barcelona were mental enough to spend \u00a3160 million on the poor man\u2019s Christian Eriksen), it does seem somewhat of a risk to spend such a sum on a man whose knee may implode at any moment.<\/p>\n
Danny Rose is a very good full-back, of that there is no doubt. But Luke Shaw has the potential to be too \u2013 and Luke Shaw has already cost the club \u00a330 million. Younger than Rose, quicker than Rose, and with time on his side, Luke Shaw should be given the time to develop into the full-back Mourinho wants. After all, if Mourinho cannot mould Shaw \u2013 through tactical coaching \u2013 into the model of left-back he wants, is he really that good a manager at all?<\/p>\n
Better still, rather than splurge \u00a340 million on something Manchester United don\u2019t need, Mourinho might be better of spending the cash elsewhere: a decent winger perhaps, or a centre-midfield partner for Matic, or a striker who can still function without Paul Pogba.<\/p>\n
Then again, don\u2019t put it past Mourinho to put his faith in neither and simply pinch whatever footballer Antonio Conte has designs on. Just to be a dick.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Three things are certain in life: death, taxes and Jos\u00e9 Mourinho screaming himself blue in the face at Luke Shaw from his technical area. It\u2019s no secret there exists some friction between the hapless left-back and Manchester United\u2019s increasingly under pressure boss, and it comes as little surprise to see the club once more linked […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":93,"featured_media":1253,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3113],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n