Opinion: Tyrell Malacia arrival could be Luke Shaw’s wake-up call at United | OneFootball

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·30 June 2022

Opinion: Tyrell Malacia arrival could be Luke Shaw’s wake-up call at United

Article image:Opinion: Tyrell Malacia arrival could be Luke Shaw’s wake-up call at United

Erik ten Hag has a huge job on his hands at Manchester United.

This summer, the new manager hopes to start his squad rebuild at United with Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, but it has been reported that the club are closing in on another deal to sign Feyenoord left-back Tyrell Malacia.

Speaking about the likely transfer recently, former Manchester United academy graduate Luke Chadwick told CaughtOffside: “I think getting this deal done is massive for United. It’s incredibly important for Ten Hag.”


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One thing Ten Hag cannot afford is complacency from his players. They’ve got away with it all season and fans will demand the utmost effort from them as we approach a new campaign.

When it comes to implementing higher standards at the club, it’s important to understand that unlike, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who I do not intend to discredit, Ten Hag has no loyalty to these players.

Nor should he, given how they’ve thrown the towel in on previous managers.

The Dutchman will waste no time when it comes to chopping players if they fail reach his expectations.

While there are a number of problematic areas in the current team, left-back is not somewhere most fans would look to first, though that is not to say it doesn’t need a vast improvement in the coming years.

I can only revert back to what journalists in the Netherlands have told me about Ten Hag’s preferred style of football at Ajax and how reliant he has been on attacking full-backs. That’s surely a bigger problem for Aaron Wan-Bissaka on the right than Shaw?

If Shaw gets back to his best, he’ll be fine, but Malacia’s potential arrival ultimately means there will be no room for consistency.

I wouldn’t lose a wink of sleep if Alex Telles left this summer because he’s not good enough to give Shaw the competition he needs at United. As for Brandon Williams, I think he’s one of the players Ten Hag will try to cash in on this summer.

However, we must note that it has been reported by various outlets that every player will be given a clean slate this summer. Ten Hag has told the group that none of them are bad players because of last season and they will be given the chance to impress on tour.

Shaw showed his best form two seasons ago and it may have been a result of playing in empty stadiums, because I can imagine that might suit the odd few players. He was awful again last term, losing his place in the England squad as a result, yet I would argue United were miles worse on the right flank.

Hopefully, Malacia joins and gives Shaw the wake-up call he needs.

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