Could Luke Shaw’s injury cost him his place at Manchester United?
Luke Shaw’s injury has opened the door for Manchester United’s other left-back starlet, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson
When Manchester United purchased Luke Shaw from Southampton they did so with the idea that Shaw would man their left-back position for years to come. Then, the former Saints star picked up a horrific leg injury that left him sidelined for an extended period of time. In his absence, young Cameron Borhwick-Jackson began to emerge for Louis van Gaal’s club.
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This hasn’t exactly reached Wally Pip-Lou Gehrig territory yet, but Borthwick-Jackson’s play of late has at least called Shaw’s future into some question. He has parlayed his health into solid form that has been good enough to cause van Gaal to start him the last four matches. He isn’t a defensive wizard by any means, but he has impressed with his ability to get forward and cause problems for opposing defenders.
Borthwick-Jackson’s real standout performance came in United’s 3-0 victory over Stoke. He registered an assist in their dominant performance and posted a sparkling Whoscored.com player rating of 7.9 for the match. It was the performance of an emerging Premier League star given his age of just 19 years.
Still, he hasn’t really shown enough quality to threaten Shaw’s place in the slightest. Shaw, is by far the better defender of the two and is Borthwick-Jackson’s equal on the offensive end. There’s a reason that he is also considered to be the first choice left-back for England as well.
Of course, that all operates on the assumption that Shaw can recover fully from his injury. We’ve been given no indication that the injury should have any serious long-term effects by the club, so it’s a reasonable assumption that he’ll be back full strength. If he is, he’s a lock to walk right back into the starting left-back position once his fitness is fully recovered.
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This situation will amount to an embarrassment of riches for United at the left-back position. They are blessed with two extremely young left-backs who have very bright futures. It might not be the best circumstances for Borthwick-Jackson, but it’s great for the club.
If Manchester United can manage to keep both players happy, they may be set at the left-back position for the next decade. That might prove to be very tricky though. Both players will want to establish themselves as starter every week, but only one will ultimately be successful.
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Bet on Luke Shaw to win that competition and make Borthwick-Jackson expendable. His future is either as a luxury substitute at Old Trafford or a valuable commodity they can turn into a healthy transfer fee.