Speculations in the press (Goal.com) over the weekend that Luis Van Gaal may have asked the United’s management to make new enquiries about Jordi Alba, Barcelona left full back have further heightened fears that the Luke Shaw to Manchester United deal may have hit the rock.
In the drive to strengthen their defence and improve their options of left full backs, United had started the chase of the Southampton lad as early as in the winter window of last season. United, faced with the likely departure of Captain Patrice Evra and the continued inconsistent form of Alex Buttner, had continued to put pressure on the 18 year old England left full back, and encouraged him to ignore interest from other teams notably, Chelsea his childhood team. If reports claiming so are true thats.
United had sustained their determination to sign the player even after the sacking of David Moyes who started the chase. It has been generally reported in the press that Southampton, who recently lost their Argentine manager, Mauricio Pochettino, to Tottenham in May have placed a price tag of £30 million on Shaw while United have lodged a £27 million bid, falling £3 million short of the Saints valuation of the English man. Negotiations are said to have continued even though Ben Smith of the BBCSports understands that a deal will be announced as soon as Southampton sign a new manager. Smith writes “Southampton will not consider allowing any more of their players to leave until a new manager is appointed…England striker Rickie Lambert has already been sold to Liverpool while club captain, Adam Lallana has been the subject of multiple bids from the Anfield club”.
United may have been frustrated in their chase of Shaw and may have opted for Jordi Alba even though “the Red Devils know it will be difficult to lure the Spaniard” (Goal.com) away from Camp Nou. Perhaps, the move is to put some pressure on Shaw and Southampton to get the deal wrapped up in time.
Jordi Alba, the Calatan left full back is also able to play on the left hand side of the midfield. He is also an asset when his team is attacking. Unlike Shaw, he prefers short passes, a style consistent with Barcelona’s brand of football. Alba also shies away from aerial duels. At 21, he still has a whole future ahead of him. Coping with the fast pace of play in the Premier League and with the number of matches can be a big hurdle to getting the best out of him.
The 18 year old Luke Shaw has had an excellent run last season and is still thought to be far from his peak. He is certainly a long term fix to United’s defensive problem in the left back corner with Evra aging and planning to leave. Luke Shaw, who is currently with England’s World Cup squad in Brazil, has the kind of talent that United needs in their attacking style. He is able to initiate a swift attack and has shown all through last season that he can cope with the rigours of the elite league. He almost doubles as a second winger in his team. His dribbling skills and crosses far outwit those of Alba and he has an excellent record on shots on goal. He is however short on number of tackles and interceptions completed per game but definitely better than Jordi Alba in my opinion.
Whatever United pay to land him will ultimately be worth it considering his age and skill.
No comments:
Post a Comment