Now that Luke Shaw will be missing from the Manchester United depth chart for the next six months (or so it’s been estimated), it’s time for other Red Devils to step in and step up. The youngster brought over from Southampton in 2014 had settled in at Left Back this season, but now United needs a new defender to come in and man the left side.
The most obvious choice is Marcos Rojo, an Argentina international who, like Shaw, was brought up to Old Trafford last summer.
Another idea is to play Midfielder/Defender Daley Blind at the position, moving him from center half, a spot where Blind has seen significant action this season.
Matteo Darmian has been holding it down on the right side, but he has experience at left back too. If Manager Louis van Gaal was to slot him over to the opposite side, you might see the youngster Paddy McNair come up and fill in for Darmian at his regular position.
However, the best situation would be for Rojo to step up and occupy left back as it would cause less total cumulative turnover in the back line, and less opportunities to inhibit cohesion among the unit.
Early last season United suffered a bonafide crisis in defense, as a rash of injuries took their toll and forced a shuffling of makeshift line-ups with plenty of players out of position. Van Gaal had to cobble together starting XIs with midfielders playing defense and the early results were disappointing to say the least.
This situation, although far from ideal, is nothing like last year, fortunately.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is part of the FOX Sports Engage Network. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. He also appears regularly on numerous talk radio stations all across the country. Catch him Tuesdays on KOZN 1620 the Zone.