Rúben Amorim may be changing his mind about one Manchester United star following his 15-minute cameo against Athletic Club on Thursday evening.
Manchester United produced a masterclass in Bilbao, sweeping aside Athletic Club 3-0 in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final to take full control of the tie and move within touching distance of the final under Rúben Amorim.
Alejandro Garnacho had the ball in the net early on, but his effort was ruled offside. That didn’t slow United down. Casemiro opened the scoring after a driving run and cross from Harry Maguire, before Rasmus Højlund won a penalty that saw Dani Vivian sent off.
Bruno Fernandes stepped up to convert, and just before the break, the captain struck again to make it 3-0 before half-time.
With a man advantage and a commanding lead, United managed the second half with composure, soaking up pressure and closing out a superb away performance that leaves them on the brink of a European final.
Shaw is providing an interesting question at United
Luke Shaw’s 90-minute display against Bournemouth was the first time he had started for the club in over a year.
Although he played most of the fixture as a left centre-back, fans were surprised to see just how effective he was when United were pushing for an equalising effort, creating three chances in 20 minutes.
Shaw then came on for a further 15 minutes of regulation time against Athletic Club in the same left wing-back position. Although United did not score, he created a further two chances despite having just 14 touches and completing eight of his ten attempted passes.
He also completed all three of his attempted crosses, his only accurate long ball, and was not dribbled past once while Athletic Club looked for a way back into the game.
Amorim may be changing his mind about Shaw
Last week, Amorim declared that he feels Shaw’s best position is playing as a left centre-back as part of a back three, but following these two displays, there are hints that the head coach may be changing his mind.
Following the full-time whistle in Spain, Amorim was very quick to praise Shaw as a “top player” with “class and quality” amid his performance as a left wing-back.
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When you see Luke Shaw playing… he is a top player,” the 40-year-old admitted. “Everything he does is with class and quality. He needs to push himself very hard.”
While many initially felt that Shaw’s only future at United is as a centre-back, his performance as a wing-back so far has no doubt given Amorim something unexpected to think about.
However, it remains to be seen whether Shaw will be able to perform consistently in the role, given his endless injury struggles. It is a tricky road for Amorim to navigate, but a fantastic option if he can get Shaw fit and playing regular football.
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