Manchester United want to replace Shaw with Jordi Alba
You have to give Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho a lot of credit. When he makes up his mind that a player isn’t good enough, he isn’t afraid to pursue a big name replacement. That’s precisely why The Special One wants the club to pursue a summer move for Barcelona left back Jordi Alba.
At this point, it’s very obvious that Luke Shaw just isn’t Mourinho’s cup of tea. Whether the English defender will ever recover to his pre-injury form is debatable, but it’s clear he won’t become a star at Old Trafford. Shaw would be wise to search for a move away from United in search of regular playing time this summer.
Reports from England linking United with Alba show just how desperate Mourinho is to upgrade the position. He isn’t content to add an untested starlet who he’d need to nurture and bring along slowly. Instead, he wants to purchase an instant star that can start from day one.
That philosophy shouldn’t surprise anyone. At this stage of his career, Mourinho isn’t interested in United making long-term investments for the future. He wants to purchase talent that can help him win silverware immediately. That’s why the club went out and acquired Zlatan Ibrahimovic last summer. In a similar vein, they’ll chase Alba this year.
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There is, of course, one key difference in those two scenarios. Alba still has a club that values him quite highly. He may not be quite the star he was a few seasons ago for Barcelona, but he’s still a key member of their starting XI. The Catalan giants already will need to purchase a right back this summer, it’s very unlikely they’ll want to shop for a new left back as well.
In all likelihood, these reports have been linked by Alba’s representatives to improve his negotiating power with his current club. He wants to sign a new deal with Barcelona, and this may be his last chance to ink a lucrative contract. Nothing drives wage offers up like links with Manchester United.
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Jose Mourinho will want to purchase an upgrade for Luke Shaw this summer, but chasing Jordi Alba is a fool’s errand. Barcelona won’t let their left back leave for England without receiving an exorbitant transfer sum in return.