Watching Marcus Rashford score an emphatic brace for Barcelona in the Champions League would have been a bitter pill to swallow for many Manchester United fans.
On the one hand, the England international is a cherished, homegrown part of the club, still a member of the club, in fact, and only out on loan with La Blaugrana. On the other hand, his permanent departure at the end of the campaign feels rather likely.
The 27-year-old’s relationship with Ruben Amorim quickly disintegrated last season, and then he was shipped out to Premier League rivals Aston Villa for a short-term stint.
Having sold Alejandro Garnacho to Chelsea too, the Red Devils perhaps have something of a shortage of widemen, even having completed impressive summer deals for Prem-proven duo Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo.
INEOS probably needed to ship out more stragglers than they did this summer, but they were faced with a huge task. And, in fairness, Mbeumo may well have the goalscoring ability to replace Rashford at the Theatre of Dreams.
Why Man United signed Bryan Mbeumo
Arsenal, Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur. Just a few clubs who wanted to sign Brentford’s attacking talisman this summer. All failed, with Man United winning the race despite offering nothing on the European front.
One of the greatest clubs in England, if not the, United are still a dormant superpower and such signings are needed to bring them back to the fore.
Both Cunha and Mbeumo have entered the fray at a tumultuous period, but it is their quality which will help United steer through, having both been so potent in the Premier League last season.
Matches (starts)
33 (29)
38 (38)
Goals
15
20
Assists
6
7
Shots (on target)*
3.3 (1.3)
2.2 (1.1)
Big chances missed
2
9
Pass completion
79%
74%
Big chances created
13
17
Key passes*
1.8
1.8
Dribbles*
1.8
1.4
Ball recoveries*
3.8
4.1
Tackles + interceptions*
1.7
1.7
Duels won*
5.5
4.7
However, Man United didn’t get it all right during the summer window, and they still need to get rid of several stars who have run past their sell-by dates.
The player of significance here has been at Old Trafford for quite some time, but just as Mbeumo’s £150k-per-week salary reflects the new, streamlined wage structure INEOS are trying to implement, so too does this undeservedly matching pay packet underline the failings of the past decade.
INEOS must sell high-earning Man United flop
One of Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s principal priorities upon assuming co-ownership at Manchester United was to rewrite the financial books and stop the rot that had led to incremental losses across an extended period.
The 33-year-old Casemiro, taking home £350k per week, is probably the most obvious member of the first team who needs to move on sooner rather than later, but the man in question here is Luke Shaw, whose £150k-per-week wage sits level with Mbeumo’s.
Had Shaw enjoyed a more fortuitous career on the fitness front, this likely wouldn’t be a conversation. When United signed the left-back from Southampton for £27m in 2014, making him the most expensive teenager of all time, it was widely recognised that the post-Fergie era would still see the development of some of the country’s finest prospects.
But Shaw’s has been a rocky road, and it may well be coming to an end, having been deployed by Amorim as the left prong of a three-part central defence, starting all four of United’s Premier League matches so far.
According to Sofascore, he has only won 44% of his ground duels, which hardly speaks of the defensive security the outfit needs to rise once again.
Moreover, given that Shaw’s incessant fitness issues have permitted more than 20 starting berths in any given top-flight season just twice across the span of his career, it’s hardly surprising that noise of a potential departure to welcome a new, hungry talent on a more affordable wage is rising.
Indeed, reports from the summer suggested that INEOS were open to the stalwart’s departure, with clubs from the Saudi Pro League interested, but nothing came to fruition. Still, it suggests that he could be shipped on for a modest fee next year, especially if he maintains a degree of fitness.
Content creator Dev Bajwa put it in no uncertain terms: “Luke Shaw should not have been playing at this football club for the past two seasons.”
He might be right. Aged 30, the England international has spent the lion’s share of his professional career in Manchester, playing 202 games for the club in total and notably winning silverware such as the Europa League and the League Cup (injuries prevented him from earning a medal when Erik ten Hag’s United won the FA Cup in 2024).
Shaw might have big ambitions, but sadly, he isn’t at the level required for a club who might demand a place challenging for the Premier League title, but presently face a battle to secure a place in any level of European competition next term.
Speaking on Sky Sports’ coverage of the Manchester derby last weekend, pundit Gary Neville conceded that his countryman was “nowhere near it”, and the question now lingers as to whether he is fit for purpose in Amorim’s three-man backline.
Having entered the penultimate year of his deal at the club, it seems unlikely that technical director Jason Wilcox would renew terms for a struggling star who has been around for an age but hardly produces the consistency of performance to warrant a salary in line with a new superstar such as Mbeumo.
Shaw can hold his head high, especially due to all the fitness troubles he has been plagued by, but it’s time for the Three Lions star to move on.