Ruben Amorim must get brutal and sell Man Utd star who 'wants to play more'

If Ruben Amorim is to complete a rebuild at Manchester United, he will need to be ruthless with players who are only sporadically available. That could involve the difficult decision of selling Luke Shaw to create space for a player better suited to the physically-demanding wing-back role the Portuguese coach employs.

Shaw is set for another spell on the sidelines to compound an extremely tough 18 months. He spent the majority of the 2023-24 season on the sidelines and believed that after three games with England at Euro 2024 that he had finally overcome a calf issue that had plagued his campaign.

But upon returning to Manchester for pre-season, the 29-year-old suffered a setback and missed United’s start to the season. Shaw never featured again under Erik ten Hag and only reappeared in Amorim’s first game in charge, the 1-1 draw with Ipswich 10 days ago.

The wing-back roles in Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 formation requires extreme fitness. They act as wingers when United have the ball, making hard long-distance sprints, and are a key creative component. Out of possession, the wing-backs are tasked with sprinting into the back line, making duels and protecting the three central defenders.

Is Shaw able to play that role over the course of a full season, incorporating Premier League, domestic cup competitions and European matches? The evidence is that the England international will find it tough.

Whether, even when fit, the former Southampton player has the required quality in the final third is an entirely separate question. In 2022-23, the last time he played more than 30 Premier League games, Shaw provided just two assists.

United, whose co-owners INEOS are keen to bring down expenditure, cannot afford to carry anyone.

“Luke Shaw wants to play more, but we have to control it, we have to rotate the team,” Amorim said only last week. “In the future we will have a different system, you can see more of a starting XI.”

Shaw himself is devastated. It is a cruel end to a calendar year in which he has made only six Premier League appearances. He wrote on Instagram: “It’s hurting a lot having to write this as I really thought I had got through my recent struggles and was on a positive path going forwards, but unfortunately I’ve had a small setback.

“I’ve been through a lot and had a lot of ups and downs but this has definitely been my toughest period. I’m absolutely devastated and it’s extremely tough to come to terms with reality at this moment in time.”

United may decide to move on Shaw – and other often-injured stars – to create a squad that can handle the physically-demanding nature of Amorim’s football.