Ferdi Kadioglu: United make major decision in pursuit of Brighton ace
Ferdi Kadioglu: United make major decision in pursuit of Brighton ace Manchester United will soon need to establish succession plans for Luke Shaw, who is already in the final 18 months of his contract. The English left-back has been in rejuvenated form for the Red Devils this season. Shaw started the campaign in the left-sided centre-back position in former head coach Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-3 system.
With Lisandro Martinez missing due to an ACL injury, Shaw had an extended run in the team and was quite impressive in the position. The Portuguese head coach, however, was removed from his position in January and Michael Carrick was appointed in a caretaker role until the end of the season. The English manager reverted to a traditional back four, prompting Shaw to move to a left-back position.
The Southampton graduate has rolled back the years in his natural position and, most importantly, has managed to stay fit so far, apart from a minor injury scare against Crystal Palace. However, Shaw will turn 31 years old this summer, and also has a history of fitness issues, so United will have to prepare for the future soon. Shaw’s injury troubles at Old Trafford Shaw arrived at the Theatre of Dreams in the summer of 2014 as one of the most exciting young footballers in the country.
Unfortunately, the Englishman’s development at United has been hampered by injuries. Shaw suffered a double leg fracture during the Champions League group stage game against PSV Eindhoven in September 2015 and was sidelined for the rest of the season. The Englishman has struggled with fitness issues throughout his career, and missed much of the 2023/24 and 2024/25 campaigns with various knocks.
Shaw has appeared 31 times in the Premier League this season, all of which have been starts. For context, he only managed more appearances in the English top flight once in his career, registering 32 appearances in the league in the 2020/21 season. The Englishman is likely to set a personal record this campaign, but United have to lay down succession plans.