Manchester United star desperate for Tottenham move
Luke Shaw can’t wait to leave Manchester United
It’s fairly obvious to anyone paying attention that things aren’t going to work out at Manchester United for Luke Shaw. In fact, the English left back is desperate to leave Old Trafford. Not only is he anxious to leave Jose Mourinho behind, he already knows who he wants to be his next manager.
Reports from England claim that Shaw is dead set on reuniting with Mauricio Pochettino at Tottenham this summer. Two enjoyed tremendous success working together at Southampton. Shaw made his big money move to United just as Pochettino traded the South Coast for North London.
The move has worked out much better for the Argentine manager. While he’s led Spurs to new heights, Shaw has endured a nightmare at United. He quickly fell out of favour with Jose Mourinho and hasn’t been able to climb out of The Special One’s doghouse all season long.
In fairness to Mourinho, it’s quite obvious that Shaw isn’t in optimal shape. You don’t need an advanced degree in kinesiology to tell he’s overweight. No matter where he plays next season, he’s going to need to slim down considerably.
That could enter into Shaw’s thinking about wanting to move to Spurs. Pochettino is renowned for his strenuous training programs. He routinely takes his squad through double and even triple training sessions during preseason. In truth, his players don’t have any choice but to get into top shape. If they can’t hack it, they often find themselves frozen out of the squad in short order.
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Of course Shaw’s struggles aren’t entirely about his physical condition. A good bit of his struggles under Mourinho are mental as well. That’s another area where Pochettino should be able to help. He has a tremendous ability to bond with young talent that Mourinho just doesn’t possess. It’s easy to see why Shaw would want to return to Pochettino’s warm environment.
The real problem with a potential move to Spurs is that Tottenham already have a very talented left back. Danny Rose has taken over Shaw’s spot in the England squad based on his excellent development under Pochettino. If Shaw does move to North London, he might have to accept the possibility of becoming a super substitute.
Fortunately, Pochettino isn’t afraid to shift his tactics to accentuate the talents of his personnel. I could easily envision formations where Rose and Shaw could play together. In particular, the club’s shift to a 3-4-3 might offer some interesting options for both England stars to play at once.
Next: Mourinho rules out massive move
No matter what, expect Luke Shaw to be delivered from his Manchester United nightmare this summer. The only question is whether or not he can arrange a Tottenham dream instead.