Luke Shaw has been left unhappy at José Mourinho’s public criticism of him but the left-back will not be forced out of Manchester United this summer against his wishes.
Shaw is understood not to have made a final decision on his future and may choose to see out the final season of his contract and leave on a free in summer 2019. He could then expect a wider pool of clubs to choose from and be able to agree a lucrative signing-on fee.
Mourinho replaced the 22-year-old defender at half-time of United’s 2-0 FA Cup quarter-final victory against Brighton & Hove Albion at Old Trafford on Saturday. The move came despite Shaw having played a key role in the creation of Romelu Lukaku’s 37th‑minute opening goal.
Afterwards the United manager said: “Luke in the first half – every time they come in his corridor, the cross was coming and a dangerous situation was coming so I was not happy with his performance.”
This was the latest in a series of public admonishments of Shaw by Mourinho. The United manager has praised him, too, but at least once that has led to confusion.
On 19 January Mourinho described Shaw as near‑peerless in his position then dropped him the following day for a 1-0 victory at Burnley, preferring to start Ashley Young. On Monday, United triggered a one-year option to keep Young for next season.
