Luke Shaw’s career needs a shot in the arm because things are going from bad to worse for the left back.
It wasn’t all that long ago that Shaw’s name was being used in headlines like those below, with no limit in sight for what the youngster could achieve at Manchester United.
Shaw’s chances of reclaiming a starting place on the left hand side of United’s defence appear to be growing slimmer by the week and, on Saturday, the former Southampton man failed to make the bench for the third game running.
Shaw remains on the fringes of United’s matchday squads in the Premier League, with his playing time limited to cup ties, and manager Jose Mourinho has since explained why the England international is not being selected.
Daley Blind was named at left back for United’s 2-0 victory over Watford at the weekend while Matteo Darmian was picked as defensive cover on the bench due to his versatility.
“He has to work and wait,” Mourinho said of Shaw. “Against Watford I wanted one defender on the bench and the defender is someone who can play in more than one position.
“Darmian can play left back, right back and an emergency central defender for us so my choice was Darmian.”
Shaw has not played a single minute of Premier League football since falling out of favour with Mourinho in November, when the 21-year-old’s mental toughness was questioned by his manager after Shaw ruled himself out of contention for the Red Devils’ 3-1 victory over Swansea.
“The only thing I can say is that Luke is working well,” Mourinho added. “He doesn’t have any problem and he is working well. He is fighting hard. There is no problem with him. He is fighting hard.”
United’s next game takes place on Thursday night, when they will host Saint-Etienne in the Europa League Round of 32 first leg.
