According to the Sun, Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho is ready to give Luke Shaw a chance in the first-team during pre-season. After a difficult time of things at Old Trafford while under his watch, the England international is understood to have Mourinho’s faith he can prove to be the club’s long-term left-back after impressing over the course of the summer by returning to the club’s training base early and getting into shape.
Perhaps this shows a change in tact from the self-proclaimed ‘Special One’. The Portuguese usually adopts a ‘me against the world’ attitude when a player wrongs him, though his reported willingness to afford the former Southampton ace another chance could be great news in the long run.
We’ve seen how important quality full-backs are to top teams these days, so the idea of seeing Shaw fulfil his mighty potential could actually save the club a huge amount of money in try to strengthen there. Obviously, the 23-year-old has a long way to go in order to prove he’s been worth the club’s hassle, but this could be a turning point for Shaw at the Theatre of Dreams.
With that in mind, here’s a look at some of the other players who could certainly do with a Mourinho U-turn in order to save their careers.
Clearly, Anthony Martial is one of the most promising attackers in European football. Though he missed out on his country’s World Cup win, the former Monaco man has the tools to terrify any defence and could really do with a confidence boost at Old Trafford.
Something between he and Mourinho clearly doesn’t work. Whether he could do more to prove he’s worth a chance – either on the wing or as a central striker – is up for debate but, what is clear, is that he has a level of talent United would be stupid to waste.
A show of faith could really boost Martial in what may be a coming-of-age campaign.
Seen by many as an expensive flop last season, Victor Lindelof definitely raised his game for the World Cup during Sweden’s watertight campaign. Granted, the former Benfica man enjoys a compact system with the national side, though certainly went some way into proving his worth.
Neither Chris Smalling or Phil Jones have ever looked convincing next to Eric Bailly and perhaps ignoring a potential move for Harry Maguire could see Lindelof replicate his national form at the Theatre of Dreams.
