LUKE SHAW started his first game in over 200 days on Tuesday night and was brilliant in Manchester United’s 2-1 win over CSKA Moscow in the Champions League.
With barnstorming overlapping runs and an electric turn of pace, Shaw crafted so many dangerous opportunities by getting in behind CSKA’s defence.
What he did was like no other United player has been able to at left back in his absence.
It was the sort of performance Jose Mourinho was unable to ignore, the sort of performance that could force himself back into Mourinho’s plans.
Sure, Shaw didn’t last the full 90 minutes and pulled up with cramp but that’s to be expected seeing how it had been since starting a competitive first-team fixture.
After so much turmoil, seeing Shaw play like that put a smile on the faces of United fans watching because it’s been one hell of a road for him since his horror injury at PSV.
Was this performance the turning point?
It’s certainly a huge turn of events given that one month ago Mourinho decided not to start Shaw in the League Cup against Swansea nor bring him on when we were 2-0 up.
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It really did seem Jose’s decision was already made up with Shaw but there’s a new glimmer of hope for Shaw and that’s down to how he played against CSKA Moscow.
Ashley Young has been a revelation at left-back this season but I’ll be the first to admit a 32-year-old former right winger is not United’s future.
…Nor are Matteo Darmian, Daley Blind or Marcos Rojo.
That’s why the idea of giving Shaw the opportunity makes so much sense on paper.
He still has the potential to become United’s and England’s left-back in the long-term, and I’d love to see that still happen.
Mourinho and United have persisted this far with Shaw and that performance against CSKA was hopefully enough to prove to Jose that he deserves another opportunity.
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It’s such a hard situation for a player to be in – on the fringes and expected to smash it as soon as you come back in.
But I’m not sure Shaw could have done a better job than he did on Tuesday, so this really should be the turning point for the lad.
If, after his performance against CSKA, Shaw is relegated to the reserves instead of staying in and around the first-team then surely it is the end of his career at United.
However, if he is integrated back into the first-team fold then we could be seeing the rebirth of Shaw… and all United fans are desperate to see that happen.
Twitter: @PeoplesPerson_
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