Gary Neville cannot believe that one of Manchester United’s key stars is still at the club despite his incredible streak under Rúben Amorim.
Fresh off the 1-1 draw in Monday night’s fixture against West Ham, Manchester United are gearing up for their third game in the space of a week against bottom-of-the-league Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Diogo Dalot scored the only goal in what was a frustrating evening for Ruben Amorim, with criticism arriving from all angles. Despite the positivity from the previous win against Crystal Palace, the mood has plummeted into negativity after the draw against Everton.
The defensive frailties without the likes of Harry Maguire and Matthijs de Ligt were there for all to see. Even then, with both those defenders in the side, United have still got one of the worst defensive records in the league, keeping only one clean sheet all season.
Ex-players turned pundits like Roy Keane and Gary Neville have been outspoken recently about their distaste for the recent performances of United and specific players in general.
Neville unsure why Shaw has been kept
Luke Shaw has always been a divisive player during his time at the club. Despite being the longest-serving player at the club and having seasons of absolute brilliance, both his lackadaisical defending at times and lack of availability have attracted criticism.
The 2018/19 Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year winner has again been under the spotlight.
According to Sammuel Luckhurst, despite having empathy on a human level, Neville is “staggered” that Luke Shaw is still at the club. After the draw against Everton, the Manchester United legend slammed Shaw’s “ambling”.
Despite recently making his 300th appearance for the club, it is important to note that he has missed more games through injury in his 11-year stay at the club than he has played.
This season, however, he seems to have found much-needed consistency in his availability, having started every Premier League game so far in what has been an incredible streak for the Englishman.
Should Shaw be moved on?
With the Englishman set to enter the final year of his contract in 2026 (with it set to run out in 2027), perhaps the time has arrived for United to think about whether they should renew or not.
No doubt Shaw has been a great servant for the club, and his technical skills, combined with his versatility to play both at centre-back and at left-back, make him a great player to have. However, United need to begin to look to the future.
Having entered his 30s, Shaw may have a few years left at a high level, but his limited availability across his time at the club is a major red flag. The adage in football is true: the best ability is availability.
Read more: Is Rúben Amorim’s biggest flaw killing Manchester United’s DNA? Sir Alex Ferguson’s words recalled
With defenders like Harry Amass, Jayden Ngwashi and Godwill Kukonki rising up the ranks of the Academy as well as young talent littered across Europe, there are opportunities to begin bleeding in the next generation while phasing the old generation out.
With an all-time low market value while at United of £10.5 million on Transfermarkt, perhaps next summer is the time to let him go and bring in his replacement.
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