Rio Ferdinand has encouraged Manchester United to find an 'understudy' rather than a replacement for Luke Shaw before the summer transfer deadline. The former United and England defender spoke out after Shaw struggled in the early stages of Sunday's 5-2 win over Ipswich Town at Old Trafford.
Shaw's difficult start and United's fightback
Shaw, 31, was beaten by Abdul Fatawu in the build-up to Leif Davis' 29th-minute strike, which gave Ipswich a shock lead. However, Bruno Fernandes scored a hat-trick to inspire a spirited fightback, securing United's first win of the campaign. Head coach Michael Carrick substituted Shaw for Noussair Mazraoui with 17 minutes remaining, one of five changes in a breathless second half.
United had lost their Premier League opener 2-0 to newly promoted Hull City the previous weekend, drawing heavy criticism for Shaw and the rest of the squad.
Ferdinand's defence of Shaw
Speaking on his Rio Ferdinand Presents YouTube channel, Ferdinand launched an impassioned defence of Shaw, claiming the England full-back had been one of United's most consistent performers over the last 12 months. He argued that United should look for a left-back to 'bed in over time' rather than someone to force Shaw, the club's longest-serving player, out of the side.
'In a couple of my WhatsApp chats, some United fans were saying, "Luke Shaw, get rid!"… Luke Shaw, over the last year, has been one of our most consistent performers and you're sitting there saying, "He should be there", or, "He should be somewhere else"… no!' Ferdinand said. 'Go and get a left-back that we want to actually bed in over time to be a replacement for someone like Luke Shaw.'
Ferdinand also highlighted the financial constraints, saying: 'You think you're going to go in the market and find someone? It's like £60m we'd have to pay. We ain't got that! We haven't got the budget after paying the amount of money that we have to reinforce the midfield.'
No 'ready-made replacement' available
Ferdinand insisted that one 'below-par' game should not change perceptions of Shaw. 'Listen, Luke Shaw has had better games, yes, but is he one where we're looking to improve that area immediately? No, no. We need back-up in that area now with the thought of long-term,' he said. 'Let's not get carried away. There's too many people getting carried away and have personal vendettas against people to try and make people think he's not good enough. Just look at the last year's performance. He was one of our top four or five performing players consistency-wise, 100 per cent. One below-par game today doesn't change things for me.'
He added: 'The only thing I would say is in the left-back area, yes, we haven't got that understudy there where you're thinking that's a ready-made replacement looking to come in. We haven't got that guy right now.'
United have been linked with several left-backs this summer, including Newcastle and England star Lewis Hall, although Newcastle have reportedly ruled out a move. Ferdinand also suggested that the club does not currently see young defender Harry Amass as the answer. 'The club don't think Harry Amass is that guy it seems because he doesn't seem to be close to it at the moment,' he said. 'That's the way it is, whether we believe Harry Amass is good enough or not. It seems the club doesn't feel like that so I don't look it at like: replace Luke Shaw. I look at it like: let's find someone who could be a replacement in time, over time, because I still think he [Shaw] is good enough to play. It's just the volume of games we're going to have this season, he isn't going to be able to play all of those games.'
Entertainment at Old Trafford
Ferdinand was pleased with the 'entertaining' display against Ipswich, despite an uncomfortable first half. 'It was nice to watch after an uncomfortable first half,' the six-time Premier League winner said. 'We'd given up too many chances, they should have probably gone in ahead at half-time. I will say the first half was nervy but this game is about entertainment and you've got to embrace that. We're nit-picking, we're overcritical. Sometimes it's about entertainment. Do you want to pay for your ticket to sit and watch the game live or on your sofa and be entertained? Manchester United today have entertained us so you know what? I'm satisfied after the first half.'
United will next face David Moyes' Everton away in a week's time. Sunday's result saw the Red Devils finish the weekend in tenth place in the Premier League table.
