There seems to be an argument in the media on whether or not Manchester United will complete the signing of Luke Shaw of Southampton before or after the World Cup, but there doesn’t seem to be too much arguing about the transfer going through.
Maybe the most talked about young talent in English football and someone who will also be going to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil with England, Shaw will turn 19 at the end of the World Cup. He has impressed pretty much everyone over the last two years in the Premier League, playing 35 times for Southampton this season, helping out with two assists.
Manchester United have made an offer of £27 million, hoping that the rumors of Chelsea losing interest are true. Shaw, who has been with Southampton since 2003, playing for the club since he was 8 years old, is also signed to a deal that keeps him at the club until 2018. However, it doesn’t seem to be a case of holding him back, as Southampton also have some financial debts that need taking care of, and by selling Shaw and Lallana they’ll be in the clear.
Lallana has one appearance for England, making his debut on February 27, 2014 in a friendly match against Denmark. He’ll probably be a backup to Leighton Baines in the foreseeable future, but things change quickly, and Shaw has proven to be a fast learner of life in the Premier League, so international football shouldn’t be any different.
Manchester United are going in a new direction, and after last season’s failure, they’ll be spending a lot of money to inject new blood into a rotting squad. Patrice Evra simply isn’t the player he used to be, and Alexander Buttner isn’t the left back they’ll entrust with the team’s future on defense. Shaw is drawing many comparison to Gareth Bale but he isn’t likely to be turned into a winger any time soon.