Manchester United insiders have been left baffled by the continued omission of one of their star players from Thomas Tuchel’s England side, despite criticism by former Red Gary Neville.
Manchester United got back on track at the weekend, bouncing back from their shock 1-0 defeat to Everton with a gritty win over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.
After conceding in the first half, the Reds responded strongly after the interval, with Joshua Zirkzee and Mason Mount finding the net to secure all three points.
Rúben Amorim’s side now sit seventh in the Premier League, though the gap to Manchester City in second is just four points.
With a favourable run of fixtures ahead, United will be aiming to build momentum and solidify their place near the top of the table.
Man Utd left baffled by Luke Shaw’s continued omission
Luke Shaw has thrived so far this season, playing almost every available minute as a left-sided centre-back in Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 formation, with his recent performance against Crystal Palace being described as “sensational”.
Despite this, Shaw has yet to be called up by new England boss Thomas Tuchel, but if the 30-year-old continues to impress for United, it will be difficult for the German coach to ignore him.
As reported by The Sun, United sources are adamant that Shaw shouldn’t be discounted as an option at left-back despite playing on the left of Amorim’s back three.
During Man Utd’s loss to Everton, legendary United right-back Gary Neville didn’t hold back while criticising Shaw, saying: “Shaw is getting forward more, but he’s ambling forward, let’s be clear. He’s been bugging me for the last 20 minutes. He’s ambling, you can’t do that.
“He should be running forward every single time, I don’t care. [Leny] Yoro, I have a little bit more sympathy for, but Shaw? That’s a waste of time. I don’t care. It’s a waste of time. It’s not conning anybody. I’m not having it.”
Tuchel should add Shaw to his World Cup squad
In England’s two November internationals, the team lined up in a 4-2-3-1 against Serbia and a 4-3-3 against Albania. Tuchel has also used a 3-4-3 system in the past, which is similar to Amorim’s tactical approach.
Shaw would add valuable tactical flexibility to Tuchel’s squad, but more importantly, he would bring much-needed experience to a position currently filled with young talent. Myles Lewis-Skelly is 19, Tino Livramento is 23, and Nico O’Reilly is 20, and together they have just 11 England caps. This is a significant contrast to Shaw’s 34 caps and his experience at major international tournaments.
With Lisandro Martinez’s recent return from injury, it’s expected that Shaw will be pushed out to left wingback in place of Diogo Dalot, and could further show to Tuchel that he is still capable of playing as more of a traditional leftback at the highest level.
Even if he doesn’t feature much in the United States, much like Jordan Henderson in previous squads, he can act as a senior figure to the current inexperienced left-backs and be a leader in the dressing room.
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