1 week Ago By Vatsal Gupta
The Premier League games don’t mean much to Manchester United from now on until the end of the season but Ruben Amorim is learning precious details about his squad. After the 1-1 draw vs Bournemouth, for example, Ruben Amorim said Man Utd keep doing one thing to make games difficult for themselves. Then there’s the wastefulness issue as United have scored a single goal from an xG of 7.
29 in their last five games excluding Newcastle. However, the latest learning he got via one of his players presents him with a dilemma instead. His best performance came where Amorim can’t play him.
Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty ImagesMan Utd star poses dilemma for Ruben AmorimThe Man Utd manager raised some eyebrows when the teamsheet for the game dropped and it was effectively a full-strength XI. It was a massive risk to take just three days away from the biggest game of the season in the semifinal of the Europa League but the team came through without injuries. The players selected weren’t at their best but for one player, a position change unlocked his best.
Unfortunately, that can’t be the long-term answer. Luke Shaw started as the left centre-back but struggled to get going in the early proceedings of the game, with Antoine Semenyo having a field day down his side. It was expected of a player making his first start for the club in nearly 14 months but what happened in the second half changed the picture.
As United chased an equaliser, Shaw was pushed from centre-back to left wing-back and he turned back the clock to his dynamic best days. He created three chances despite playing just under half an hour as wing-back as his crossing and ball-progression abilities came to the fore in an advanced role. It was a thrilling reminder of the qualities that once made him the toast of English football but unfortunately, a reminder is all it will remain.
Luke Shaw can’t play wing-back anymoreIt goes without saying that while Shaw shone as a wing-back, playing him there consistently is a disaster waiting to happen. Not because there are any doubts about his quality, but because it will certainly ask a lot of his durability.Amorim already accepted after the game that laying Shaw the full game wasn’t the plan, a marker of how careful the club are having to be with him.
At this point, any minutes from Shaw have to be considered a bonus instead of reliable, and those minutes will decrease further in a high-intensity role like wing-back.United will have to live with the reality that the player who signed as a flying fullback has his future at centre-back despite glimpses of greatness. Injuries have robbed him.
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