A recent selection decision from Rúben Amorim has shown that one Manchester United player could be permanently playing in a new “perfect” position from now on.
Amid the change from Erik ten Hag to Rúben Amorim, there have been varying levels of success as all the Manchester United players adapt to the drastic change in system.
Those such as Noussair Mazraoui, Amad, and Bruno Fernandes have done well to excel in new roles across the 3-4-3 formation, while others have struggled.
Rasmus Højlund, Alejandro Garnacho, and Manuel Ugarte have all come under fire in the last few months after their progression and performances became either stagnant or inconsistent.
In the summer market, it’s expected that United will aim to fill many of the gaps in Amorim’s side that have been left either due to players underperforming or a lack of viable candidates for positions in the system.
Shaw set for permanent position change
One player United fans are yet to see play in Amorim’s set up at United is Luke Shaw, who has not started for the club in over a year following a series of reoccurring leg injuries.
The three times he has appeared for Amorim have all been as a substitute, coming on against Ipswich Town, Bodo/Glimt, and Everton as a left centre-back late last year prior to a fresh injury issue.
Shaw has mainly operated as a left-back for United since he signed in June 2014, but with Patrick Dorug’s transfer in January, it feels as if the English defender’s chances of starting as a left wing-back under Amorim are limited.
With Shaw back in the United squad on the bench as they drew 0-0 against Manchester City, it was interesting to see that Shaw, Dorgu, and 18-year-old Harry Amass were all selected. Amorim usually likes to have two players in each squad who could cover any position on the field, while all their selections indicate three players who could play left wing-back.
With this in mind, Amorim’s decision to include Amass as well as Shaw in the United squad points to the fact that the 40-year-old head coach sees Shaw as a player for the centre-back positions in the future, while Dorgu and Amass may make up the two competing for left wing-back in the future.
Recent reports have indicated that Amorim still feels Shaw has a future at United and is planning to let the player complete a full pre-season at the club this summer before making a final decision on his future.
Shaw’s position change is “perfect”
Amid the notion that Shaw could permanently be instead vying for a left centre-back role under Amorim, former United midfielder Wes Brown recently commented that the position change could be “perfect” for the Englishman.
“The competition for Luke has stepped up a notch, 100 per cent, and I have always said that is what you want in any squad. You want competition and, if Luke does get back, then the manager is able to bring him in, maybe play them both at the same time, you don’t know,” Brown recently told MUTV.
“I can’t fault him [Dorgu] at all. He’s got great pace, power, he loves to get forward, he is quick and he can defend as well. But we know what Luke can do that as well. Luke can probably play, if needed, in the back three that the manager has as well.
“It could be the perfect spot for Luke. But it is more about Luke staying fit now. To do that, he has got to forget about what has happened, just get back into training, get back in the flow, start to enjoy it, don’t think negatively, always positively and see if he can stay fit.”
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