Manchester United are ‘considering’ a shock swoop for Chelsea left-back Ben Chilwell to provide competition for Luke Shaw, according to Daily Mail.
Shaw suffered from a recurring muscle injury that kept him out for 227 days and a total of 34 matches across all competitions last season. The 28-year-old only made 12 Premier League appearances and 15 across all competitions during a hugely frustrating campaign.
Tyrell Malacia also missed a huge portion of last season due to injury, so understandably, Man Utd are increasingly concerned about their left-back options and are looking to reinforce that position this summer.
The Daily Mail are reporting that the Red Devils have earmarked Chilwell as one of the options they’re ‘considering’ a move for to provide competition for Shaw and Malacia.
The club’s hierarchy are holding a recruitment meeting to discuss potential deals that include Chilwell, Joshua Zirkzee, Matthijs de Ligt, and Jarrad Branthwaite as they look to strengthen their squad this summer.
Chilwell is contracted to Chelsea until 2027 with a €28m (£23m) transfer valuation by Transfermarkt, but it remains to be seen if the Red Devils will formalise their interest with a formal move for the Englishman.
Right choice?
Both Shaw and Chilwell are players who regularly spend lengthy spells on the sidelines with injuries.
With United looking for players to reinforce their squad, particularly in defence, swooping for Chelsea’s vice-captain does not entirely make sense at this time.
Erik Ten Hag’s side suffered a myriad of injuries to his backline so he needs to bring in reliable players who know how to stay fit. In what will be a must-improve season, the summer transfer window should hand them the chance to reinforce their squad with much more quality to compete for titles and Champions League qualification next season.
While Chilwell possesses immense crossing ability, and fluidity while in possession, his defensive ability is sometimes questionable and isn’t particularly an upgrade to Shaw. Plus, his injury history makes him a risky option.
With the Daily Mail reporting that the former Leicester City man is only an option among a host of others possible targets, it would make sense for Man Utd to move on to alternatives rather than opt for Chilwell.
