Rumoured Luke Shaw

[The Skipper 20,609]

For £30M they can get a decent CM and Rodriguez from Wolfsburg. No need to switch the defense, which has been solid, when you can just improve the offense. The problem has not been at RB or LB, it's been in the midfield and our finishing. Shaw should not cost that much.

Trust me, a good LB would help the team so much going forward because it gives you an extra option on the overlap - that takes away attention from the centre and attention from your wingers, and gives you also another option for a cross from deep or a cross from the byline. Do you think Bayern, City, Real etc. have good attacking fullbacks just because?

Someone like Shaw would unlock Hazard's, and thus the team's attacking ability even further.

[iseah100 5,612]

Trust me, a good LB would help the team so much going forward because it gives you an extra option on the overlap. Do you think Bayern, City, Real etc. have good attacking fullbacks just because?

Someone like Shaw would unlock Hazard's attacking ability even further.

Possibly, but our fullbacks are MUCH better defensively than the teams you mentioned. I'm all for it, but not for £30M. Rodriguez is a great full back and would be significantly cheaper.

[The Skipper 20,609]

Possibly, but our fullbacks are MUCH better defensively than the teams you mentioned. I'm all for it, but not for £30M. Rodriguez is a great full back and would be significantly cheaper.

Why do you think we struggle to break down teams? Because we aren't fully exploiting them - both of our fullbacks are average going forward (Azpi would be much better on the right though).

You don't need defensive fullbacks against teams who sit back and let us have the ball. A good attacking LB is as important as a ST to me for us next season.

£30m for Shaw is too much but I sincerely doubt he'll actually go for that, it's all paper talk atm. Rodriguez would be a good alternative definitely but only if we can't get Shaw for ~£20m.

[iseah100 5,612]

Why do you think we struggle to break down teams? Because we aren't fully exploiting them - both of our fullbacks are average going forward (Azpi would be much better on the right though).

You don't need defensive fullbacks against teams who sit back and let us have the ball. A good attacking LB is as important as a ST to me for us next season.

£30m for Shaw is too much but I sincerely doubt he'll actually go for that, it's all paper talk atm. Rodriguez would be a good alternative definitely but only if we can't get Shaw for ~£20m.

Azpi would be good om the right, but against small teams that's important? What about against the Real's, Bayerns, and Barcelonas of the world? You need to have full backs who can at least cause Ronaldo, Bale, Ribery, Robben, Neymar, Reus, etc. Problems when they attack. Good attacking fullbacks would be nice, but you can't just forget about defense.

I like Shaw a lot, hopefully it is just tabloid talk, more than £25M for him is too much. Rodriguez should be in the back of our minds.

[The Skipper 20,609]

Azpi would be good om the right, but against small teams that's important? What about against the Real's, Bayerns, and Barcelonas of the world? You need to have full backs who can at least cause Ronaldo, Bale, Ribery, Robben, Neymar, Reus, etc. Problems when they attack. Good attacking fullbacks would be nice, but you can't just forget about defense.

I like Shaw a lot, hopefully it is just tabloid talk, more than £25M for him is too much. Rodriguez should be in the back of our minds.

That's why against the bigger teams we can just start (if you want to be so defensively solid) Ivanovic and Azpi. It's about options. Shaw is no slouch defensively either so you're overstating the defensive solidness we'd lose. If anything, I think we'd be better defensively because Azpi is better than Ivanovic defensively in my opinion.

What has been our problem this season? That's right, breaking down the smaller teams with good quality chances. A good attacking fullback goes a long way to solving that. Signing Diego Costa won't fully solve that problem.

[Jype 6,398]

Azpi would be good om the right, but against small teams that's important? What about against the Real's, Bayerns, and Barcelonas of the world? You need to have full backs who can at least cause Ronaldo, Bale, Ribery, Robben, Neymar, Reus, etc. Problems when they attack. Good attacking fullbacks would be nice, but you can't just forget about defense.

I like Shaw a lot, hopefully it is just tabloid talk, more than £25M for him is too much. Rodriguez should be in the back of our minds.

Who says we couldn't play a defensive full-back pairing like Azpi - Ivanovic against the teams you mentioned? Right now we don't have any other options and that's partly why we're struggling against the teams that sit deep but if we had an attacking LB like Shaw or Rodriguez we could alter our approach to the game depending on the opposition.

edit: Oh come on, The Skipper said pretty much the exact same things seconds earlier.

[iseah100 5,612]

I see where you guys are coming from. I'd like a Shaw or Rodriguez, but for the right price. I think we need a CM and ST before a LB though.

[The only place to be 11,313]

What has been our problem this season? That's right, breaking down the smaller teams with good quality chances.

Finishing chances has been our problem.

£30 million on a left-back when we have arguably the best left-back in the league and need to spend at least £40 million on a striker and possibly a few million on a midfielder is a tough sell. Shaw could do us a favour by waiting a year until we can spend big next summer on him. His price isn't likely to increase that much over 12 months and it's not like he's going to get European football at United.

[The Skipper 20,609]

Finishing chances has been our problem.

£30 million on a left-back when we have arguably the best left-back in the league and need to spend at least £40 million on a striker and possibly a few million on a midfielder is a tough sell. Shaw could do us a favour by waiting a year until we can spend big next summer on him. His price isn't likely to increase that much over 12 months and it's not like he's going to get European football at United.

You're simply stating that after the Swansea game but you can't tell me that most games against the smaller teams have been like that... Plus you're ignoring that Swansea went down to 10 men.

It isn't like we've been creating a lot of chances against teams on a consistent basis.

If United or City or whoever come through for Shaw this summer it'll be a big loss IMO, hence why I think signing him is as important as signing a ST and a CM.

[Reddish-Blue 2,489]

Finishing chances has been our problem.

£30 million on a left-back when we have arguably the best left-back in the league and need to spend at least £40 million on a striker and possibly a few million on a midfielder is a tough sell. Shaw could do us a favour by waiting a year until we can spend big next summer on him. His price isn't likely to increase that much over 12 months and it's not like he's going to get European football at United.

To be fair, for 30 million...we could arguably have the best right-back and left-back in the league...with a season or two of Mourinho coaching!

I still think £20 million + Bertrand is a fair deal for Shaw....30 million is a bit steep.

[Special Juan 28,116]

Good player, potential through the roof but my trail of thought is that 30M is a lot to ask and if City or United are willing to spend that much on him then let him be.

Player plus cash much for feasible IMO.

Disclosure; This is only my opinion, and yes I know how good Shaw is.

[The only place to be 11,313]

You're simply stating that after the Swansea game but you can't tell me that most games against the smaller teams have been like that... Plus you're ignoring that Swansea went down to 10 men.

Actually I was thinking about the West Ham game too when we created about 40 chances. Oh no, we need another left-back wasn't really on my mind much.

Palace game wasn't much different. Azpi trickles the ball across the 6 yard box and we lack a striker - my first thought is I wish we had a decent striker, not a left-back who can play that exact same ball with his left-foot.

If United or City or whoever come through for Shaw this summer it'll be a big loss IMO, hence why I think signing him is as important as signing a ST and a CM.

It's not though. We need a striker next season, we don't need a left-back. He's a long-term signing and an expensive one at that. I'd love for us to get him and it does make some sense, but if we had a striker this season we'd be certs for the league. If we had another left-back I don't think that's the case.

[The Skipper 20,609]

Actually I was thinking about the West Ham game too when we created about 40 chances. Oh no, we need another left-back wasn't really on my mind much.

Two games...

It isn't about "oh no, we need another left back" it's about us having fullbacks that can provide width and options off the ball and fullbacks that can deliver decent crosses in the box. That on its own will create more space for the likes of Hazard, Oscar, Willian etc. to exploit instead of it being so congested in the middle all the time. Having two good attacking fullbacks will stretch teams and allows us to create more quality chances.

A good attacking left back so Azpi can play in his natural position is just as important as a midfielder and a striker in my opinion, but that's my opinion. We have to get all three if we want to become a more complete team that can adapt and adjust to different situations.

Palace game wasn't much different. Azpi trickles the ball across the 6 yard box and we lack a striker - my first thought is I wish we had a decent striker, not a left-back who can play that exact same ball with his left-foot.

Again, are you insinuating that against Palace we created enough and were simply unlucky or weren't clinical enough with our finishing? The amount of quality chances created against Palace was poor. You have to stop pretending like creating good chances against the smaller teams hasn't been our problem this season.

It's not though. We need a striker next season, we don't need a left-back. He's a long-term signing and an expensive one at that. I'd love for us to get him and it does make some sense, but if we had a striker this season we'd be certs for the league. If we had another left-back I don't think that's the case.

Again as I said before, we do need a left back, so Azpi can pay in his natural position. You're forgetting that Ivanovic is 30 as well. It's just as good as a long term investment as a striker is.

[didierforever 7,349]

Finishing chances has been our problem.

£30 million on a left-back when we have arguably the best left-back in the league and need to spend at least £40 million on a striker and possibly a few million on a midfielder is a tough sell. Shaw could do us a favour by waiting a year until we can spend big next summer on him. His price isn't likely to increase that much over 12 months and it's not like he's going to get European football at United.

dont think that we will buy a new CM. despite the hoopla around luiz and rambo, jose definitely trusts them. mvg will be like a new signing so i really doubt if we will be going BIG for a CM.

cole has been sidelined. bertrand has come out and said that next season he wants to be the no.1 LB for whichever team he plays which is not happening here. so we need to buy shaw before one og the mancs go for him and get him. specially united. guaranteed first team football. and with the way spurs are playing, i think they will get the 6th spot and europa.

[The only place to be 11,313]

Two games...

It isn't about "oh no, we need another left back" it's about us having fullbacks that can provide width and options off the ball and fullbacks that can deliver decent crosses in the box.

Decent crosses to who?

That on its own will create more space for the likes of Hazard, Oscar, Willian etc. to exploit instead of it being so congested in the middle all the time. Having two good attacking fullbacks will stretch teams and allows us to create more quality chances.

We have width from our full-backs when they're told to get forward. If you want space for the attackers, get a decent striker who will actually force the defence back like Didier used to.

A good attacking left back so Azpi can play in his natural position is just as important as a midfielder and a striker in my opinion, but that's my opinion. We have to get all three if we want to become a more complete team that can adapt and adjust to different situations.

I agree that it would be nice to get a left-back like Shaw and have Azpi on the right, but it's not like Ivanovic isn't a good full-back. When he has targets to aim for in the box, he actually does pretty well. Plus he gets goals.

Again, are you insinuating that against Palace we created enough and were simply unlucky or weren't clinical enough with our finishing? The amount of quality chances created against Palace was poor. You have to stop pretending like creating good chances against the smaller teams hasn't been our problem this season.

I'm not insinuating that - I'm just saying it. We create good chances despite not having a decent striker yet there's a myth that we find it hard to break down teams. People were even saying that in the first-half against Swansea despite Salah missing two glorious chances on his own.

Again as I said before, we do need a left back, so Azpi can pay in his natural position. You're forgetting that Ivanovic is 30 as well. It's just as good as a long term investment as a striker is.

How am I forgetting he's 30? I know he's 30, just like I know how old Kalas, Wallace, Kane, Omeruo and Aina are.

I just think you focus on the immediate problems first and right now our most immediate problem is the lack of a striker. If we had that, we'd have won the league. Another left-back doesn't change a single result in my opinion, whereas a striker maybe finishes one of the 40 chances we created against West Ham.

Yes that may be just one game and two extra points....but we're two points off the lead so maybe it'd be nice to have them.

Then there's the Everton game where we created 22 chances and managed to miss one open goal and a host of other good chances, none of which were the result of not having a different left-back.

Shaw would be a great signing for the future. But I don't think he makes as big a difference to our chances of winning matches as a striker or two does in the next 2-3 seasons hence why I think our priorities are the way they seem to be.