Should Manchester United Sign a New Left-Back Before the Transfer Window Closes, or Can They Rely on Shaw and Malacia?

Manchester United’s 2024-25 season may be just two games in (including the Community Shield), but they’ve already had to rely on players out of position at left-back. While this may not grab headlines or be the key takeaway from their early performances, it’s far from ideal.

United kicked off their Premier League campaign on a positive note on Friday, with debutant Joshua Zirkzee scoring a late winner in a 1-0 victory over Fulham at Old Trafford. It wasn’t a classic performance, and Erik ten Hag’s side had their flaws, but it was an improvement over the nervy 1-0 win against Wolves on the opening day of 2023-24; a sign of progress, perhaps.

However, the persistent issue at left-back was evident once again.

Early Defensive Concerns for Manchester United: Persistent Left-Back Issues

Diogo Dalot filled in on the left until Noussair Mazraoui—solid in his club debut—was substituted in the second half. Lisandro Martínez then moved out wide, with Dalot returning to his natural right-back position.

Martínez, who started at left-back during the Community Shield penalty-shootout loss to Manchester City the previous weekend, was once again filling in due to the lack of a natural senior left-back in the squad.

This was a recurring issue last season. With Tyrell Malacia out for all of 2023-24 and Luke Shaw sidelined for a significant part of the campaign, Dalot and—less frequently—Aaron Wan-Bissaka had to adapt to playing on the opposite flank. Victor Lindelof, Antony, and Sofyan Amrabat also made brief appearances in that role.

The prevailing storyline for United in 2023-24 was their defensive frailty; only relegated Sheffield United (678) faced more shots than United (667) in the Premier League, and their 58 goals conceded was the highest in a single league season since 1978-79 (63).

United’s injury issues extended across the entire backline, not just at left-back. As a result, it’s reasonable to conclude that the lack of a consistent back four contributed to their defensive struggles, a point Ten Hag himself emphasized.

This is why they have prioritized defensive reinforcements like Leny Yoro and Matthijs de Ligt, bolstering both the quality and depth of their center-back options.

But let’s be clear, left-back remains a significant concern.

Defensive Instability and Injuries

Luke Shaw isn’t expected to return from his latest injury, a calf strain, until after the September international break. Meanwhile, Tyrell Malacia—who last featured for United on the final day of the 2022-23 Premier League season—is sidelined until at least October. Given that Malacia was initially expected to be out until November 2023 following knee surgery, many will approach his latest return date with skepticism.

United’s response to the left-back crisis at the beginning of last season was to secure Sergio Reguilón on loan from Tottenham. The Spaniard filled in capably before the club activated an early termination clause in January, with Shaw back on the pitch and Malacia supposedly close to returning—or so they believed. This decision proved costly, as Malacia never played again, and just over a month after Reguilón’s departure, Shaw sustained a hamstring injury that kept him out for the rest of the season.

While Dalot has performed admirably at left-back, and Mazraoui offers some versatility with his occasional experience on the left, it would be a significant oversight not to bring in a natural left-back before the transfer window closes. They were caught short last season; surely, they’ll learn from that mistake?

Any potential new signing at left-back will likely hinge on the club’s confidence in 17-year-old Harry Amass. Signed from Watford last year, the England youth international is undoubtedly talented and gained valuable experience in pre-season, generally performing well in his five appearances.

However, he wasn’t included in the matchday squad for either the Community Shield or the win against Fulham, suggesting that Ten Hag likely envisions the youngster spending most of his time with the Under-21s. Given his young age, exercising caution may be the wisest approach.

There’s also the possibility that United could end up with three senior left-backs competing for one position, with Amass trying to break through if they decide to sign another player. This scenario is likely what they aimed to avoid by including a loan termination clause in Reguilón’s deal. But, considering what happened last season, it might be wise to cover all contingencies.

For example, can you really depend on Shaw?

Risk of Insufficient Left-Back Cover for Manchester United

There’s no denying that Shaw is one of the best left-backs when he’s fit, but it’s important to acknowledge that he has missed a significant amount of football due to injuries over the years. This isn’t a criticism—he’s unfairly faced quite a bit of backlash recently since news of his latest injury broke. It’s not as if he’s getting injured on purpose, and considering the horrific double leg break he suffered that nearly resulted in amputation, it’s almost miraculous that he’s played as much as he has.

Yet, it’s still a valid concern that throughout his entire United career, only in the 2018-19 and 2022-23 seasons did Shaw avoid missing more than 10 games due to injury.

In the Premier League alone since the start of 2016-17, a player could have racked up 27,450 minutes (excluding stoppage time) if they played every minute of every game. While that’s an extreme scenario and obviously no one has managed it, Shaw has played 13,580 minutes during that period, or 49.5% of the maximum possible. This isn’t solely due to injuries, as there were likely suspensions and times when he was out of favor, but fitness issues have certainly had a significant impact.

The optics aren’t great when Shaw misses the final months of the season, is called up to England’s Euro 2024 squad while still recovering, manages to play a few games at the business end of the tournament, and then gets injured in his first training session back at United. For instance, former Old Trafford favorite Peter Schmeichel criticized him on BBC Radio 5 Live over the weekend, suggesting he was “prioritizing” England over his club. This criticism seemed harsh, as Shaw’s current injury is different from the one that sidelined him for the final months of 2023-24, and again, it’s not like Shaw wants to be injured.

Whether fair or not, Schmeichel’s broader frustration is shared by many supporters. Given Shaw’s injury history, expecting him to stay fit for the entire season once he returns in September seems risky and almost unfair to him.

There’s also the consideration of what it could mean for United if they’re without a left-footed left-back for an extended period. While it might be a stretch to blame Marcus Rashford’s struggles last season on the lack of a reliable overlapping left-back, it’s easy to see how it might have contributed. Shaw is naturally inclined to overlap, allowing him to cross with his stronger foot.

The heat maps above illustrate how last season, Dalot—who logged more minutes (1,104) at left-back than any other United player in the league—tended to cut inside from the left more often than Shaw. This likely crowded areas where Rashford could have operated, rather than stretching the play to provide him with more options.

Additionally, the sequence tables below underscore the involvement of full-backs in general play during Ten Hag’s first season. Notably, only Dalot managed to break into the top 10 for United players in this regard last term.

Of course, there’s no guarantee that United will be able to find a left-back who meets their requirements, is available for transfer or loan, affordable, and willing to join a team where they could soon be competing for a spot with two or three other players.

However, full-backs were crucial to Ten Hag’s Ajax team, and his decision to replace the technically limited Wan-Bissaka with the more refined Mazraoui suggests he views these roles as even more vital for this United side.

Allowing the transfer window to close without securing adequate cover on the left would be a risky move, especially considering how last season demonstrated the heavy toll an unstable defense can take.

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