Manchester United will welcome back Luke Shaw with open arms when he eventually returns from injury.
Manchester United’s weakest position in recent weeks has been at left-back, to the point that Marcos Rojo’s weak play has affected others in the team.
Whether it’s been Anthony Martial or Memphis Depay on the left wing for Manchester United, attacks from the left flank have been hard to come by. Rojo offers little aid to his wide partner in the form of overlapping runs or supporting passing lanes. As a result, the left side often becomes a one vs two battle for the Red Devil winger, as the opposing midfielder and defender can converge.
In Rojo’s last 10 starts on the left side of the defense, the statistics for the left winger have been abysmal. Memphis, accounting for three of those matches, has averaged an 81% pass success rate, less than one shot on target, a 61% dribble success rate, and has been dispossessed four times.
Likewise, Martial has suffered from poor supporting play from the 26-year-old defender. In the other seven matches of Rojo’s last 10, the Frenchman averaged a 77% pass success rate, one shot on target, a 49% dribble success rate, and has been dispossessed at nearly the same clip as Memphis.
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In a system where efficiency is crucial, both in terms of dribbling and passing, the left winger has suffered at the expense of poor full-back play. For some unknown reason, Louis van Gaal has kept with Rojo rather than utilizing Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, the seemingly better option. There is no real justification for why the Argentine defender continues to start; he’s poor in defense and useless in attack.
All of which is to say that the left wingers will be desperate for Luke Shaw to make his return. Though it likely won’t come before the end of this season, Martial and Memphis will surely be hoping for better once the Englishman rejoins the first team next season.
Prior to his horrific injury against PSV Eindhoven, Shaw had been one of the best players in the squad, if not the best. He created space on the left side of the Manchester United attack with overlapping runs and drives to the endline before whipping in dangerous crosses. The opposition essentially had to contend with two wingers without the benefit of weakened defensive fortitude. Shaw could still track back quickly if he was caught out thanks to his world-class pace.
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Martial has been less affected by the poor full-back play in some regards, whereas Memphis has been incredibly hindered. In the first five matches of the season, Shaw and the Dutch international combined a few times and looked like they would go on to have a prolific partnership. That was obviously cut short, and Memphis has struggled to be consistent ever since. His playing style of driving at defenders or cutting inside to shoot depends on one vs one opportunities.
When the 20-year-old returns, whenever that may be, it will be with the same expectations that were present at the beginning of the season. He’s still one of the best prospects in the team, with the hope that the lengthy injury won’t have stunted his development.
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If Shaw returns with the same form that he showcased to start the 2015/16 season, Memphis and Martial should both experience an uptick in play. For Memphis, it might be enough to become the best winger in the team.