Arguably our biggest loss for the season... Fingers crossed he comes back and settles quickly.

Good news for Salah

Honestly, I would rather we got him playing at LB in his best position. Yes, he has covered well at LCB when needed, but let's just play our players in their best positions and hope they can maintain fitness etc.

comment by (K̇ash) - Liverpool 7-0 Man U - Free Palestine 🇵🇸 (U1108)
posted 6 minutes ago
Good news for Salah
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The counter that good news the bad news for LFC is that Rashford will be fit to face Van Dijk.

comment by kinsang (U3346)
posted 13 minutes ago
Honestly, I would rather we got him playing at LB in his best position. Yes, he has covered well at LCB when needed, but let's just play our players in their best positions and hope they can maintain fitness etc.
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I don't think it's quite as simple as that. I'd be more guided by where we have the biggest gap between what Shaw would provide and what the alternative would provide. Ball progression both from central defence and left back has suffered in the absence of Shaw and Martinez. Dalot has been the best alternative at LB from that point of view, and Evans/Lindelof at LCB. I could see ETH going with either option, but wouldn't be unhappy to see Shaw + Dalot on the left half of defence.

I think Reguilon can be a decent LB if he gets a run of games.

comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 17 minutes ago
comment by kinsang (U3346)
posted 13 minutes ago
Honestly, I would rather we got him playing at LB in his best position. Yes, he has covered well at LCB when needed, but let's just play our players in their best positions and hope they can maintain fitness etc.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

I don't think it's quite as simple as that. I'd be more guided by where we have the biggest gap between what Shaw would provide and what the alternative would provide. Ball progression both from central defence and left back has suffered in the absence of Shaw and Martinez. Dalot has been the best alternative at LB from that point of view, and Evans/Lindelof at LCB. I could see ETH going with either option, but wouldn't be unhappy to see Shaw + Dalot on the left half of defence.
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I guess I would simply prefer to play Evans / Lindelof there and have Shaw outside them. Certainly to start with, and if that turns out to be a disaster, then maybe move Shaw inside etc.
For me, so much of this is where the squad is mentally - you can just sense the fragility when things don't quite go right.
Maguire has gone from being 100th choice to almost undroppable now - due to cirucmstances I appreciate, but it just shows a great mentality from Maguire rather than management from ETH.
We happened to stumble across the fact that Shaw played a few decent games at CB - he's still not proven there and having just come back from injury, let's get him comfortable playing again.

comment by Red Russian (U4715)
posted 23 minutes ago
comment by kinsang (U3346)
posted 13 minutes ago
Honestly, I would rather we got him playing at LB in his best position. Yes, he has covered well at LCB when needed, but let's just play our players in their best positions and hope they can maintain fitness etc.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

I don't think it's quite as simple as that. I'd be more guided by where we have the biggest gap between what Shaw would provide and what the alternative would provide. Ball progression both from central defence and left back has suffered in the absence of Shaw and Martinez. Dalot has been the best alternative at LB from that point of view, and Evans/Lindelof at LCB. I could see ETH going with either option, but wouldn't be unhappy to see Shaw + Dalot on the left half of defence.
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I don't think we'll see much (if anything) of Shaw at left back until Martinez returns.

comment by The Process (U20671)
posted 20 minutes ago
I think Reguilon can be a decent LB if he gets a run of games.
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Reguilon can't put a run of games together. He's just like Varane in that sense. Also, doesn't Reguilon's loan deal end in January?

I would keep shaw at LB as much as we can rather than use him as a utility CB. He has been one of Uniteds most direct attacking players from that LB position and linked up with Rashford well on that left hand side. I think Rashfords game has missed that over the last few months.

comment by RB&W - One man down, One nil up (U21434)
posted 16 minutes ago
I would keep shaw at LB as much as we can rather than use him as a utility CB. He has been one of Uniteds most direct attacking players from that LB position and linked up with Rashford well on that left hand side. I think Rashfords game has missed that over the last few months.
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This. Been saying the same thing for a while now.

comment by Vidicschin (U3584)
posted 13 minutes ago
comment by RB&W - One man down, One nil up (U21434)
posted 16 minutes ago
I would keep shaw at LB as much as we can rather than use him as a utility CB. He has been one of Uniteds most direct attacking players from that LB position and linked up with Rashford well on that left hand side. I think Rashfords game has missed that over the last few months.
----------------------------------------------------------------------

This. Been saying the same thing for a while now.
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Yup the Rashford point is bang on

Good news on the whole, hopefully more to come and we can maybe get a consistent first choice line up going for a few months in the new year to help us push towards top 4

Truth is we could do with shaw at LB and LCB but I would probably say that using him at LB would improve us as a team more with his ability to move the ball forward, link well with Rashford and also move into CM when needed which EtH made him do a lot last season.

Obviously we could improve a lot at CB but we’re coping ATM. Don’t we have the second best clean sheet record in the league?

comment by The Process (U20671)
posted 2 hours, 22 minutes ago
I think Reguilon can be a decent LB if he gets a run of games.
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Going forward I agree, he has the engine to get end to end and overlaps well.

He gets caught with passes in between him and the LCB far too often though. I'd be happy with him starting with Shaw LB in games we will have most of the possession, but then of course we lose out on Shaws playmaking abilities.

comment by manutd1982 (U6633)
posted 38 minutes ago
Truth is we could do with shaw at LB and LCB but I would probably say that using him at LB would improve us as a team more with his ability to move the ball forward, link well with Rashford and also move into CM when needed which EtH made him do a lot last season.

Obviously we could improve a lot at CB but we’re coping ATM. Don’t we have the second best clean sheet record in the league?
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Agreed.

Play the LB at LB. Hojlund will also benefit from him playing as well.

I do have a concern just how out of shape he might be after being out for so long?

He could be looking like a Kinder egg by now?

Hope they have him on a fitness prog and he's back asap, been a big miss

comment by Insufferable-Piffle (U4388)
posted 6 minutes ago
I do have a concern just how out of shape he might be after being out for so long?

He could be looking like a Kinder egg by now?

Hope they have him on a fitness prog and he's back asap, been a big miss
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He could be our juggernaut. Once he gets going there’s no stopping him.