It has been a troubling start to the season for Manchester United, who sit 10th in the Premier League table, but if they are to climb to the upper reaches of the division, they’ll need Luke Shaw to bring his A-game.
At 30 years of age, Shaw has come a long way since arriving as a teenager from Southampton and suffering a gruesome leg injury, winning two EFL Cups, one FA Cup, one Community Shield, and one UEFA Europa League title, and he’s on track to reach the 300-appearance mark for United before December. However, with his contract set to expire in 2027, questions continue to echo louder and louder with regard to the Englishman’s long-term future in Manchester.
Often considered an injury-prone prospect, Shaw missed the first 3.5 months of the year before returning to fitness and becoming an important figure under Ruben Amorim, helping United reach the UEFA Europa League Final. He’s remained in the starting XI for the start of the 2025/26 season, starting on the left side of the back three in each of United’s first seven league matches. However, he was caught out and dominated in their recent loss to Brentford.
Shaw was in the rearview mirror, casually jogging back as Igor Thiago opened the scoring with a counter-attacking thunderbolt in the eighth minute. Just a few minutes later, he was caught ball-watching as Nathan Collins broke free of him and forced a fingertip save from Altay Bayindir, and he allowed Thiago to pass easily through him and double the scoring for Brentford in the 20th minute. Whilst Benjamin Sesko would pull one back shortly after, United squandered their chance to equalize as Bruno Fernandes nestled his penalty into the grateful palms of Caoimhin Kelleher. It was a dismal display from Shaw, who lost possession 17 times in the defeat to Brentford, completing 47 out of 58 passes before being subbed off in the 81st minute for Mason Mount.
Brentford kept the visitors at bay before sealing the deal with a stoppage-time goal from Mathias Jensen, subjecting United to their third league defeat of the season. It was yet another humiliating result for the Red Devils, who nevertheless bounced back by beating Sunderland 2-0. Ruben Amorim finds himself under an increasing amount of pressure from soccer pundits, ranging from Alejandro Moreno, [Christian Gray](https://rg.org/news/soccer/auckland-city-gray-club-world-cup-career-ambitions), Nico Cantor, and more, and whilst the recent win vs. Chelsea has bought him some time, it’s clear that patience is wearing thin.
Against Sunderland, Shaw managed to keep things tight at the back with two tackles, two clearances, one interception, two out of six ground duels won, and 35 out of 41 passes completed. The question is – much like Amorim’s side as a whole - can he find some consistency going forward?
United will travel to defending champions Liverpool after the break before hosting Brighton in their final match of October.
See More:
* [Manchester United: Players](/manchester-united-players)