Midfield two is hamstringing the whole thing.
The only one who can help the central midfield issue of whatâs there is Mainoo really. Bruno doesnât understand where to be to get on the ball/relieve defenders/be an option. He should be in the front 3 in that system really
Cas is probably flattered by playing with Kroos and Modric and is more a junior partner whose legs are going anyway. Ugarte is just not good enough and is as bad as any signing theyâve ever made pound for pound. Just doesnât have it technically and isnât able to close down quickly enough either.
I think what Sesko has on Rasmus is he stronger and quicker, he is just as raw; but Rasmus was being bullied by centrebacks to the point of not getting a kick which absolutely killed him. Sesko at least occupies centre backs and he is very good in the air when he fancies it. I think the big improvement from last season is the 3 forwards occupying defences really.
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To be honest, no matter what the personnel, I donât think they ever will control games in that system. Its an underdog system and they only press with 3 rather than all the other big teams that press with 4 or 5. They looked okay at Palace as Palace donât press themselves and play Unitedâs system. In the past, Glasner just had Guehi, Wharton, Eze, Olise and Mateta to manipulate the ball better and the good right wingback which is the crucial outlet. The game came down to individual moments of quality from Bruno Fernandes more than anything else.
@neilld would you take him at man united ? He was treated very poorly by Liverpool imo
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I would yeah but he is probably very similar to Sesko. Big powerful man that will disrupt defenders, just put it in behind and get them on the turn. Bruno and him would link really well.
I think he might end up at Newcastle. Howe loves powerful and quick players and thereâs the Saudi link. He can play from the left and offers an alternative to Woltemade. Arteta might take him for the same reasons. he wanted him before.
He could have a point to prove after how he was treated by Liverpool
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With Lisandro Martinez back Iâd assume he will move into one of the 3 centre back positions and Shaw will go out left wing back at some stage.
Cunha expected to be back for the West Ham game but Iâm not sure whether he will start straight away.
But it worked for one of the Big Three in Portugal who wouldnât be an underdog. A case of a less intense style of football requiring less pressing from the front in Portugal?
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I can see shaw playing left wing back in certain games but Iâd say the running heâs to do out there wonât help him stay fit. Itâs an incredibly attritional position for a fella of shaws age and injury history.
Heâs out-and-out the best footballer of any of the prospective options for wing back but you would have to use him sparingly to have any hope
Newcastle fans love an iconic Number 9. Heâd be a hero there. Arteta wouldnât know how to utilise a chaos merchant properly.
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Eddie ârisk-averseâ Howe would?
Leeds should go in for him.
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Eleven premier League titles is a huge amount
The rebuilding of Luke Shaw â and why he is still so important to Manchester United
Luke Shawâs fitness has been more consistent this season Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images
By Andy Mitten
Dec. 3, 2025Updated 7:24 am GMT
âLuke, how are you feeling?â
There was a pause, a shake of the head, the noise filled by the celebrating Tottenham Hotspur supporters on the other side of the tunnel in Bilbao.
âErm, devastated,â he replied. âI think that outcome goes with how our season has been. Nowhere near good enough. We must take responsibility for that, as players. Itâs nowhere near good enough for a club like Manchester Unted. We must question ourselves: are we good enough to be at this club because this season is nowhere near acceptable. I can only apologise to the fans. I think theyâre bored of hearing the same things.â
In 35 years of journalism, Iâve never seen a United player so downbeat. Shawâs brutal honesty in a live TV interview was admirable, but some fans felt they had heard enough excuses. They were tired of the defeats, the poor performances and, in Shawâs case, the apparently endless cycle of injuries he had suffered, as if that was by choice.
Shaw, 30, is Manchester Unitedâs longest-serving player by a distance, having joined in 2014. Sundayâs match at Crystal Palace was his 300th appearance for United â an average of 27 games per season. Bruno Fernandes has played 303 in less than half the time.
With Shaw, injuries, rather than talent, are the issue. âI wouldnât wish the injuries Iâve had on anybody,â Shaw told me as long ago as 2015, during pre-season in Seattle. That came after a first season at United when he only managed 20 games.
âI only had myself to blame,â he explained. âI didnât arrive at the club in the correct shape and things didnât go to plan. The manager (Louis van Gaal) told me his feelings and I totally accepted that. At a massive club like United, you must be at your best. But I learned and this season I feel much fitter; much sharper and I have the experience of a year at Manchester United behind me.â
A month later, he broke his leg at PSV in the worst injury of his career. That set an unfortunate template for his time at United. He didnât manage more than 20 games in any of his first three seasons, then he went on a five-year run between 2018-2023 where he averaged 39 games. Heâll be lucky to match that this season, given United have so few fixtures.
Shawâs season-by-season record at United
| 2014-15 | 20 | 18 | 1310 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-16 | 8 | 8 | 654 |
| 2016-17 | 19 | 17 | 1376 |
| 2017-18 | 19 | 14 | 1331 |
| 2018-19 | 40 | 40 | 3582 |
| 2019-20 | 33 | 29 | 2525 |
| 2020-21 | 47 | 41 | 3634 |
| 2021-22 | 27 | 26 | 2210 |
| 2022-23 | 47 | 40 | 3645 |
| 2023-24 | 15 | 15 | 1179 |
| 2024-25 | 12 | 5 | 587 |
| 2025-26 | 13 | 13 | 1110 |
| Total | 300 | 266 | 23143 |
| Source: Opta |
His appearances in the past two seasons have been injury-hit again â 15 (12 in the league) and 12 (eight in the league) respectively. Itâs not possible to start afresh in the minds of some fans, but this season Shaw has started every game, playing 90 minutes in most. Heâs already passed his total for last term.
A trip to Qatar in March, organised in consultation with United, helped matters. Shaw spent two weeks at the Aspire facilities in Doha with chosen physios and a senior member of United staff. Medics undertook holistic work to assess a range of issues, with particular attention paid to muscles in Shawâs right leg, which suffered the double fracture 10 years ago, to trace the cause of his issues and strengthen them to the same condition as his left leg. That forensic assessment, combined with the warm weather, contributed to Shaw being fully fit for pre-season and staying that way when competitive football began in August.
United have a view that they want their money on the pitch. Shaw is on the pitch, but thereâs also a view that heâs learning a new position and shouldnât be compared to the player he was.
There were some unfavourable stats circulating on social media last week relating to his declining output, in terms of crosses and chances created, but itâs not comparing like for like: heâs playing in a different position. Shaw has been a left-sided central defender in a back three before â one of his best games for United was in that position in a 2-0 win at Chelsea in February 2020 â but itâs not been a regular position until now.
Shaw is well-rated by United, who organised a special presentation at the training ground yesterday to mark his 300th game, led by director of football Jason Wilcox.
But just over a year from now, he will be able to talk to other clubs about leaving. His situation is exactly like his fellow defender Harry Maguireâs. United will decide if they want them to stay, most likely on a lower salary; if they donât, they can leave.
United consider Shaw a top player who understands the game and is very difficult to beat in one-vs-one situations. His positioning in his new role should improve as the team â and a new goalkeeper in Senne Lammens â settles down, but he is a full-back dealing with more aerial balls.
Shawâs height â widely reported as around 5ft 10in (178cm) â counts against him. United staff have noted that at Arsenal, every member of the back four is well over 6ft.
âI actually like seeing a full-back in a back three,â former United defender Danny Higginbotham tells The Athletic . âEspecially if you are playing behind a dominant left wing-back who wants to fly forward like Patrick Dorgu, because Shaw can then go to left-back.âPeople forget that, yes, youâre playing with a back three, but when the ball is coming down your side and you are the left-sided centre-back, then if your wing-back goes forward, you become a back four.
âShaw becomes the left-back, Matthijs de Ligt becomes the left-sided centre-back, Maguire or Lenny Yoro becomes the right-sided centre-back, and Noussair Mazraoui becomes the right-back.
Shawâs height could count against him at centre-halfDarren Staples/AFP via Getty Images
âIt doesnât matter that heâs not the tallest because you have two other centre-backs who are big lads. Heâs good on the ball, calm under pressure when opponents are pressing, and can get forward if he doubles up by underlapping or overlapping Dorgu to get a two-vs-one, knowing you have Casemiro to cover.â
United staff agree with Higginbothamâs assessment of Shawâs contribution, stressing his calmness on the ball, understanding of the game, his ability to play well through the lines, and take the ball forward. One game per week, rather than two, helps him, since injuries can creep up on you more if you go from playing no games per week to two, especially in your thirties.
Shawâs honesty is also appreciated â he played badly against Manchester City and admitted as much to reporters in the aftermath. That performance was unusual because one of his traits is consistency, even though heâs a defender in a team conceding too many goals.
He has stepped up off the field, this season, too. He is consistently in by 8:30am doing extra preparation work and comes in to train at Carrington on his days off. Heâs quiet in the dressing room but has a good manner, and has already struck up a friendship with Matheus Cunha. In general, Unitedâs dressing room is a far better place than a year ago.
Shaw also wants to be in Englandâs World Cup squad. Heâs only played 34 times for his country and 11 of those appearances came in 2021, but heâs made the England team in eight of the past 11 years. Heâs yet to do so this year.
His desire to represent his country has not always found favour with fans who would rather he focus on staying fit for Manchester United. Even Peter Schmeichel, the clubâs former goalkeeper who won 129 caps for Denmark, chimed in on that debate in August 2024, after Shaw had broken down with another injury after playing for England at that summerâs European Championship.
âLuke Shaw last played (for United) in February and yet he still went to the Euros,â he told the BBC. âNow, heâs injured again. Heâs a Manchester United player â we pay him. He should be focusing and prioritising Manchester United and not his country.â
Shawâs availability has been an issue in previous seasonsShaun Botterill/Getty Images
The recent defeat to Everton wasnât his best night, and he was criticised by a frustrated Gary Neville on Sky Sports for âamblingâ without urgency, but he was hardly alone in underperforming that evening. Shaw has otherwise been consistent this season and was impressive in the 2-1 win at Selhurst Park last weekend when he made some crucial blocks.
The key was getting him fit and keeping him fit in a cycle of training and games to increase robustness. Mason Mount has suffered similarly. Both felt frustrated because people were making judgements about their injuries: theyâre clean-living professional footballers, who had done nothing to bring injuries on themselves.
Unitedâs team isnât where it needs to be and itâs unlikely that Shaw, given his age, will be in it when it is. But heâs an important player for now, one who has earned his place and must now fight to keep it, given the return of Lisandro Martinez.
If any players need some good fortune, itâs those two.
Additional reporting: Laurie Whitwell
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Mitters and Shawzie 
