Manchester United travel to Celta Vigo this evening (8.05pm kick-off) for the first leg of their crucial Europa League semi-final.
Jose Mourinho’s men are targeting success in Europe’s secondary competition having seen their Premier League top four hopes take a hit in recent times, the latest dent coming courtesy of a 1-1 draw at home to Swansea on Sunday.
That result means that the Red Devils are a point behind neighbours Manchester City in fourth with four games to go, and although that is certainly a gap that can still be made up, their fixture congestion and mounting injury-list looks set to see the Europa League prioritised between now and the end of the season.
And that starts with a tricky semi-final first leg tonight against a Celta Vigo side that have knocked Shakhtar Donetsk, Krasnador, and Genk out of this year’s competition, and so will provide a stern test for Mourinho’s men this evening.
But one man who won’t be taking to the field in Vigo tonight is England left-back Luke Shaw, who hobbled off injured in their draw with Swansea on Sunday, and thus looks set to miss the remainder of the campaign.
And that may even be the last time he appears in a United shirt as speculation has arisen in recent days about a potential move across Manchester to Pep Guardiola’s City this summer.
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager is on the lookout for defensive reinforcements in the upcoming window, and it’s a move that would benefit Shaw in a bid to end his Old Trafford nightmare.
Clearly, Mourinho isn’t a huge fan of the 21-year-old, with the Portuguese repeatedly criticising him this season, from all the way back in September after their 3-1 defeat at Watford to more recently against Everton, where he said the youngster was playing with ‘his body and my brain’.
Injuries certainly haven’t help Shaw in his bid to nail down the left-back spot, he is widely regarded as the most talented left-back at the club, and although he has played more in recent weeks and done reasonably well, you still sense that Mourinho isn’t totally sold on him.
And that’s why Shaw should quit Old Trafford and make the five mile trip across Manchester to neighbours City – he’s clearly not fancied, and it already appears like it will be difficult for him to come back from everything this season and become a regular feature under Mourinho.
Add in the fact that Guardiola is in desperate need of full-backs this summer, and it’s a no-brainer for both parties.
Bacary Sagna, Gael Clichy, and Pablo Zabaleta are all out of contract at the Etihad Stadium this summer, and with all three being the wrong side of 30, it’s highly unlikely that they’ll be offered an extension.
This would leave Aleksandar Kolarov (who is hardly the greatest full-back in the world) as the only natural option in that department, and while the likes of Jesus Navas (also out of contract) and Fernandinho sometimes deputise there, Guardiola needs out and out full-backs, especially with the system and style of football he plays.
And Shaw certainly fits the bill.
The England international is quick and energetic up and down the left flank, and is as effective in the attacking third as he is the defensive third – he’s strong, good and comfortable on the ball, and technically very sound.
It’s his sort of youth and energy which is ideal for the way Guardiola wants to utilise his full-backs, with it clear throughout the campaign by his tinkering of formations, choices of backline personnel, and decision to play Navas, Leroy Sane, and Raheem Sterling as wing-backs that he hasn’t been able to do what he wants for much of this term.
City need a player like Shaw just as much as Shaw needs a fresh start at City, given that his England career looks to be petering out before it really gets going.
The 21-year-old looked set to become the Three Lions’ next long-term left-back when he made his debut back in 2014, but just six subsequent caps have followed since then, with it clear that another City target, Danny Rose, is streets ahead in that pecking order.
Regular football for a side where full-backs are fundamental to a team’s dynamism and performance would certainly open England manager Gareth Southgate’s eyes, but more importantly, it’s a move Shaw needs to do.
Things haven’t worked at United, for whatever reason, so a fresh start may be needed elsewhere to resurrect his flailing career at both club level, and indeed international level.
City would provide him with that.