The latest statements made by Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim have probably left Luke Shaw sweating over his starting role.
The 30-year-old’s momentum has often been derailed by injuries since joining the club as a teenager in the summer of 2014. Nevertheless, the London native has been enjoying an injury-free run since the start of the season, which has gained him a regular spot in the starting lineup.
While Shaw is originally a left-back, Amorim has been deploying him on the left side of the three-man defence. This is mainly due to the absence of Lisandro Martinez who suffered a devastating ACL injury back in February.
Ruben Amorim delivers Martinez update, and it could spell trouble for Shaw
The Argentine’s absence has provided the England international with the perfect opportunity to prove his worth for the Portuguese manager. But like the bulk of his teammates, Shaw hasn’t always impressed.
Therefore, Amorim admitted that the team has been sorely missing Martinez. The manager poured praise on the former Ajax man while sharing the latest update on his physical condition.
“It’s really important [that Martinez is nearing a return]. When you have that injury, you recover a lot of times very fast and then there is a boring part where it looks like you don’t go to the next step.” revealed the former Sporting CP manager in his press conference ahead of Saturday’s clash against Chelsea.
“We miss Licha a lot. We miss the aggression in this moment, how aggressive he is on everything he does, we miss him. But he’s always there in every meeting, even in training, he stays there to watch the training. I think we need Licha in this team.”
Luke Shaw will eventually relinquish his spot for Lisandro Martinez
Based on Amorim’s words, Martinez has a starting berth awaiting him as soon as he regains his optimal physical condition.
The World Cup winner has been tipped to make a return in February, but this remains merely speculative, as placing an accurate timetable for his sort of injury remains challenging.
In the meantime, Shaw will try to cling to his starting role as long as possible, while trying to ward off competition from Harry Maguire, and perhaps even Ayden Heaven, who is considered a natural fit on the left side of the backline.
The former Southampton man could also emerge as an option for the left wingback role, but will have to challenge the younger Patrick Dorgu and Diego Leon for this spot.
Shaw’s Man United contract runs until June 2027, but the club was said to be open to selling the player last summer, as they awaited the right offer.
