Manchester United have been incredibly busy in the transfer market this summer, parting with mammoth sums to bring in Romelu Lukaku, Victor Lindelof and Nemanja Matic, but there were criticisms of Jose Mourinho’s other plotted activity.
The Red Devils have been heavily linked with the services of Inter Milan winger Ivan Perisic and Tottenham Hotspur full-back Danny Rose, two signings that would severely hamper the development of young English assets Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford.
Those moves now seem to be on the back-burner though and a swoop for Rose in particularly looks extremely unlikely, with Spurs insistent they won’t sell, which has led to a change of approach for Manchester United.
The Times states Manchester United will keep faith in 22-year-old left-back Luke Shaw and will hand the former Southampton man a new contract, as the England international prepares to make a comeback from another injury setback.
Shaw played just 19 times for Manchester United last season due to a combination of injury issues and a difficult relationship with Jose Mourinho, who openly criticised the youngster’s fitness at certain stages of the campaign.
The full-back is expected to return to first-team duty next month, ahead of a crucial year where he’ll look to establish himself as first-choice left-back in Manchester United’s side and will also aim to secure a spot in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the World Cup in Russia.
Handing Shaw a new deal is a show of confidence towards a player who’s had a woeful few years since moving to Old Trafford, as he’s struggled to bounce-back properly from a horrific leg break suffered in the early stages of his time with the Red Devils.
There’s no denying his ability though and he has the capability of becoming a leading player for Manchester United in the coming years, which is why handing the youngster a new contract is so important as it secures his services.
The ball is now back in Shaw’s court to follow a new deal up with solid performances on the field but he’ll still need the support from behind the scenes to recover fully from his latest issue.