The fans of Manchester United had been pretty hopeful of Luke Shaw when he arrived at Manchester United in 2014 .‘The Red Devils’ paid over $50 million for the youngster, which was back then a record transfer fee for a teenager.
The Englishman was expected to provide defensive steadiness to United and lead the backline for many more years to come. Moreover, Luke Shaw’s great ability to make galloping runs up ahead could have also aided Manchester United.
🚨 Luke Shaw has missed 44.24% of all games at Man Utd since joining the club in 2014. [@Jayling77]
Wow. That’s almost 50%, which is shocking.
Love him. Very good player that really improves us, but availability is the best ability and we can’t continue to rely on him.
I’m… pic.twitter.com/4qd0xFBlTQ
— UF (@UtdFaithfuls) April 29, 2024
But, as time would prove, Luke Shaw would be a terrible signing for Manchester United. The 28-year-old has been more of a liability than an asset for the record English champions and his fitness issues have cost the club a lot. A startling statistic about his injury has even now turned the Man Utd fans against him.
Luke Shaw has had to deal with injuries consistently
The English leftback’s issues with his fitness started just a few days after signing for Manchester United when he suffered a hamstring injury, That injury would mark the beginning of a huge ordeal for Manchester United that would see the club miss their key player for around 100 games for the club.
This means that the 28-year-old has missed 44.2 percent of his total games for his club. The amount is really huge and poses some serious questions about his professionalism. Shaw has damaged his hamstring and ankle multiple times and really makes us wonder if he takes his fitness seriously.
Opts: Since 2020/21 both Luke Shaw and Anthony Martial have Missed a total of 133 Games through injuries, time to let them go? pic.twitter.com/FY1kQ8BP10
— Meme Garnacho.. (@garnacho_meme) April 29, 2024
Moreover, the England left-back’s fitness issues continued to the 23/24 season. Luke Shaw has missed 29 games for Manchester United this season, which is more than half of the games Manchester United has played. Luke Shaw’s fitness issues show no signs of improving as Manchester United fans too look fed up with the English left-back.
Three players that could replace Luke Shaw at Manchester United
Luke Shaw’s injury record has deeply harmed the team’s chemistry. The manager, Erik ten Hag has had to change the backline many times, due to the 28-year-old’s unavailability, playing Diego Dalot who is primarily a right-back on the left. Therefore, Manchester United should aim for some stability in the left-back position by bringing in some fresh talents into the team.
One such exciting player could be Bayer Leverkusen’s impressive left-back, Alejandro Grimaldo. The Spaniard has taken Europe by storm with his creative display, as he has provided the highest assists in the top 5 leagues with 13 assists to his name. Grimaldo has also been a scoring threat for Bayer Leverkusen, with whom he has clinched a historic domestic title, scoring 9 goals in the League.
His attacking flare would be perfect for Erik ten Hag, who would like a bit more free-flowingness in the Manchester United squad. However, links with FC Barcelona could mean that United is most likely to miss out on Alex Grimaldo.
12 – Players with the most assists in the top five European leagues this season:
🇪🇸 Álex Grimaldo – 13
🇪🇸 ÁLEX BAENA – 12
🏴 Ollie Watkins – 12Generator. pic.twitter.com/Cx17sPQ32h
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) April 28, 2024
In such circumstances, Girona’s Miguel Gutierrez could be a target for the English club. The 22-year-old has impressed with his performances for Girona, with whom he is set to achieve UCL qualification for the upcoming season. Moreover, he is well appreciated by the United’s club hierarchy and a multi-million dollar bid from the club might be on the horizon.
Erik ten Hag might also send Alvaro Fernandez, the Man Utd. loanee to Portuguese club SL Benfica a chance to prove himself in the first team. The Spanish left-back has received a lot of high praise of late and might cement his place in Manchester United after all. It would be interesting to see how the left-back situation at Manchester United unfolds in the future.