Pep may not have to Luke too far for a new left-back...
AS the man who sanctioned £47.5m for John Stones last summer, Pep Guardiola has made it clear he would like to work with English players at City – and that you have to pay through the nose to get them.
Of all the positions the Blues need to improve in, left-back feels the most urgent – and Tottenham’s Danny Rose would be an ideal signing. But it’s hardly a given. Even before you get to convincing the player to join, Guardiola’s public praise of White Hart Lane’s finest will only have encouraged Daniel Levy to make his valuation even more eye-watering.
If blowing a hefty chunk of the summer budget on Rose would scupper reinforcement in other areas, Luke Shaw looks like an incredibly credible alternative.
A 21-year-old left-back with nearly 100 Premier League appearances, Champions League experience and a World Cup already under his belt who shouldn’t cost half as much as the Spurs man.
Stumbling blocks? He’s at United, who should have no need whatsoever to do any business with their rivals.
The last player to make the switch – Carlos Tevez – sparked Fergie’s fury after City’s ‘Welcome to Manchester’ stunt. Having said that, there hasn’t really been animosity for anybody that has swapped Red for Blue – and you wouldn’t blame Shaw for wanting out of Old Trafford.
He insists publicly he wants to stay and fight for his place at Old Trafford, but Jose Mourinho is making it as difficult as he can for him.
From criticising Shaw for playing while injured to criticising him for not playing because he was injured, the coach has gone out of his way all season to lambast the player.
Just as Shaw thought he was in the fold again, Mourinho found a remarkable way to pull him back out.
The youngster is not faultless in events at Carrington this season and there are improvements to be made on and off the pitch if he is to reach his potential.
Guardiola’s arm-round-the-shoulder could be more useful in unlocking it, though, than Mourinho’s stick-andstick approach. Time spent on the training ground with England teammates Stones and Raheem Sterling this season has improved them considerably.
Even if Shaw doesn’t prove the longterm solution to the position, it would take something incredible to be a downgrade on their current options and should be cheaper than some of the players that haven’t nailed down a place in the team.
It may prove impossible to strike a deal for whatever reason - as may be the case with Rose - but it would be remiss for City not to even explore the possibility.