Ruben Amorim has a first-team Manchester United player who had the “quality” that would have allowed him to play for Real Madrid, despite it never coming to fruition.
The 40-year-old Manchester United manager has the opportunity to begin ushering in the ‘Ruben Amorim era’ at Old Trafford with his first major squad overhaul.
United are limited with their spending power amid the Premier League club’s financial problems, but Amorim has a lot of work ahead of him at Old Trafford.
Amorim became the sixth permanent United manager in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era and inherited the majority of his first-team squad from Erik ten Hag in 2024.
The United head coach, who arrived at Old Trafford last November from Sporting CP, now has to work with players from many of his predecessors at the club.
But Amorim will welcome new players to the Red Devils this summer and see other first-team players offloaded from the Premier League club as part of his rebuild.
READ MORE: Man Utd fans never been more divided after Luke Shaw’s latest major milestone at Old Trafford, ‘one of the biggest…’
Ruben Amorim, manager of Manchester United, reacts during the Premier League match between Bournemouth and Manchester United at the Vitality Stadium.
Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
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Ruben Amorim still has Luke Shaw and the Man Utd star’s potential showed why he was backed to play for Real Madrid
Luke Shaw remains a reminder of the Louis van Gaal era at Old Trafford and the Manchester United star’s career has a major ‘what if’ scenario written all over it.
The United defender became the world’s most expensive teenager at one point in his career after the Red Devils landed him from Southampton for Louis van Gaal.
Luke Shaw made his name at Southampton after bursting onto the scene at the Saints and he was only 18 years old when he first arrived at Old Trafford.
The England international had attracted interest from the likes of Chelsea, Manchester City and Real Madrid ahead of signing for United in 2014.
Fast-forward to 2025 and Shaw is still playing for United and the former Southampton ace has marked his 11th anniversary at the Premier League club.
Mauricio Pochettino was the manager of Southampton when United were linked with Shaw in 2014 and he tipped his former player to have Madrid-desired qualities.
“He can play at Real Madrid or he can play in the world starting XI,” he said, as per The Daily Express in 2014.
“He really has the quality to do so. I am not sure if he is one [of the best left-backs in the world] already. I think so.
“I am not sure if he is already the best one in the world.”
READ MORE: Man Utd-linked midfielder is now on transfer radar for two Premier League teams, his club future is made clear
Why did Mauricio Pochettino’s prediction for Luke Shaw to play for Real Madrid never come to light?
Madrid were linked with Luke Shaw and Marca reported that the United defender had been viewed as a potential replacement for Fabio Coentrao in 2014.
The Spanish newspaper claimed that Madrid were not willing to pay the ‘estimated £36m’ for Shaw and it seemed ‘unfeasible’ for the club to pay that much money.
Fabio Coentrao ended up staying at Madrid beyond the 2014 window and would later be loaned out to Monaco in 2015 amid missing out on Shaw to United.
Luke Shaw v Leicester 😍
Watch every United goal on #PL opening days now 👇
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) June 27, 2025
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It’s not hard to see why Mauricio Pochettino, who was once linked to become United manager, had tipped Shaw to be able to play for the La Liga club.
Shaw has shown his ability in sporadic bursts and has often been hailed as one of the best left-backs in the world when his form has been maintained and managed.
The 29-year-old England star could have ended up at Madrid further down the line, but his infamous leg break in 2015 ended any hope of a move ever happening.
Shaw’s injury setback against PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League curtailed his United career, but Pochettino’s point about his “quality” still remains true.