Almost every Manchester United fan felt the team needed another left-back this summer.
They believed INEOS would go all guns blazing on deadline day to sort the issue out, but instead, the co-owners came close to signing another midfielder.
Late deals for Alejandro Balde, Jorge Salinas, and Rayan Ait-Nouri did not materialise, leaving Luke Shaw as the sole senior specialist in the squad.
Harry Amass stayed put, which is some consolation for the Red Devils, but the fanbase was far from happy with the club’s transfer dealings.
Players’ thoughts on lack of a left-back signing
As previously relayed by The Peoples Person, the United players also felt the club should have signed another striker to reduce the burden on Benjamin Sesko.
Interestingly, Laurie Whitwell of The Athletic has claimed that the United squad are not too bothered about the lack of a backup for Shaw.
Speaking on Talk of The Devils podcast, the journalist explained, “From people I’ve spoken to, the players were looking at that area [striker] and saying that Sesko needs somebody else to alternate with, a focal point which could allow Mbeumo and Cunha to adopt their more natural positions.
“From what I can tell, LB wasn’t as pressing in the players’ minds because of their faith in Luke Shaw and he’s got support from the squad for all the time he’s been at the club.”
Squad have faith in Luke Shaw
If Whitwell’s information is correct, this goes to show how much faith the squad have on Luke Shaw.
Michael Carrick is not of the same opinion, and he had made that clear to the ownership.
Shaw’s poor injury record is a concern, especially as United will play a lot more games this season as compared to the previous campaign.
The England international‘s form has also been patchy at best, with the full-back at fault against AC Milan in pre-season, and in both Premier League games so far.
It remains to be seen if INEOS’ decision comes back to bite them later in the season. For now, fans are hoping for an improved show from the former Southampton starlet as United get ready for their away test against Everton on Sunday.
Feature image Dan Mullan via Getty Images
