“It’s a bit strange”: Rooney left baffled by Tuchel’s decision about United wide-man

It turned out to be a bittersweet season at Old Trafford, with Manchester United’s impressive third-place finish not without an asterisk given the disastrous early exits in the domestic cup competitions and the lack of European football. However, one player who made the most of the extra breaks in the schedule was full-back Luke Shaw, who joined only a handful of players in starting every league game in a single campaign for United. This achievement is even more impressive given the defender’s injury record. When fit and firing, Shaw is undoubtedly one of the best left-backs in the division, and his impressive season under both Ruben Amorim and Michael Carrick saw him slot in seamlessly at centre-back at times as well. Surprise World Cup omission With all that in mind, Shaw looked a strong favourite to earn a call-up to Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad this summer. However, the German did not quite see it that way and chose to leave the United man at home, favouring others with less experience and quality than Shaw but perhaps more reliability to get through the tournament unscathed. Ironically, one of the players called up instead of Shaw, Newcastle United full-back Tino Livramento, has had to withdraw from the squad through injury before England have even kicked a ball in the U.S. Tuchel’s prerogative to pick a replacement would surely have led him to Shaw, but instead the former Chelsea head coach has plumped for Blues defender Trevoh Chalobah, a decision that has bemused a certain England and United legend. Wayne Rooney admitted he was baffled by Tuchel’s omission of Shaw, a player he named as “the most improved” in the United squad, after his reliability over the course of the season. “It’s a bit strange. I would have liked to have seen Luke Shaw. And then Djed Spence maybe being cover for Reece James and Luke Shaw come in,” said Rooney on his BBC podcast (via Metro). United’s all-time leading goal scorer did caveat the decision with the fact Chalobah may have been on a standby list that Shaw was not, but given the options available to Tuchel, it does feel like the United man would have added something to the group. “I’m sure Thomas Tuchel has kept contact with players to stay available and I’m sure he [Chalobah] was one of those who was available,” he added. England’s loss is United’s gain Whilst it is disappointing for Shaw to be left out, Carrick will certainly be using the situation to his advantage, with both him and Harry Maguire in line for a pre-season that could prove crucial when the Premier League campaign gets underway. With the bumper edition of the World Cup not concluding until 19 July, players will be coming back to Carrington in stages depending on how far their respective nations go in the competition. The early games in the Premier League may see under-strength or undercooked starting XIs, and having as many key players available during that period could be pivotal in getting off to a good start. Shaw will be expected to be at it right from the off and will hope to enjoy another fruitful campaign, finally put his dreadful injury woes behind him, and finish his career strong at the Theatre of Dreams with or without international football. Featured image Mike Hewitt via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Conner Botterill Conner Botterill has been with The Peoples Person for three years. A lifelong red with degrees in Sport and Journalism and Philosophy and Psychology through the Open University. His favourite match attended was the unforgettable night in Paris in 2019 under the guidance of one of his idols, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Conner still believes he has a chance of making United’s first team through his 5-a-side career.