Luke Shaw hasn't found his form from last season for United (Photo by Ash Donelon/Manchester United via Getty Images)

Luke Shaw change could solve Manchester United's issues and save Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

The 25-year-old has been a shadow of the player that played under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer last season so a positional switch may benefit him

by · Manchester Evening News

Manchester United have been conceding far too many goals this season, which was also a problem for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer last year. Saturday's 2-0 defeat to City emphasised how big the issue is.

So far, United have conceded 25 goals in all competitions, which is currently level with Norwich City. That's simply not good enough for a team that's meant to be challenging for the title.

The defence was a weak point for Solskjaer's team in the 20/21 season. Why? Well, United kept conceding from set-pieces, lacked a fast defender who can stay fit and no defensive partnership complemented each other.

What did Solskjaer do to try and solve the problem? He made two acquisitions. One was Real Madrid defender, Raphael Varane, and the other was set-piece and defensive coach, Eric Ramsay.

Although you'd have to say that it hasn't worked so far, Solskjaer hasn't really had luck on his side. Varane has now picked up two injuries since he signed for the club and hasn't really had the opportunity to play alongside captain, Harry Maguire.

Now, United's defence has changed so much because of injuries, but more recently, it's seen a transformation due to the different system Solskjaer has deployed.

In the games against City, Atalanta and Tottenham, Solskjaer has used a 3-5-2 formation, using three central defenders instead of two. However, United have conceded four in those three matches. I know they were forced to rotate to a back four in Italy due to Varane's injury, but still, when Josip Ilicic scored the first goal, the team were still in their original system.

United have had a lot of defensive issues this season (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

With Varane expected to be out for up to four weeks, can Solskjaer really afford to play a back three every single week? I don't think he has the depth for it to be honest.

Of course, the Norwegian has players like Eric Bailly and Victor Lindelof to partner Maguire, but what happens if one of them gets injured? After all, Lindelof has had a history of injuries and Eric Bailly, well, he doesn't even need an explanation - he's injured all the time!

As we saw in the game against City, United were cut open down both the left and right-hand channels. It was embarrassing and looked like a completely different team to the one that finished second last season.

There are many issues at United and you could point the finger at more than one person, but it's a collective responsibility.

So, what's the solution? Well, in my opinion, if Solskjaer stays in a job, he has to try something different and I think he should try Luke Shaw as a left centre-back.

Shaw hasn't been at his best this season, failing to bomb forward as frequently as he did in Euro 2020, meaning he hasn't been as effective in the offensive areas. He's only had two assists to his name this season in all competitions. That's not good enough!

Against City, Bernardo Silva had a field day against him and the lack of communication between him and Maguire was scary. What it showed is that he cannot play as a wing-back.

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Now, Shaw has played as a left centre-back during his career before and to be honest, he's looked pretty good in that position. When you think about what's not working at the moment, United need composure in the defence. Arguably, Shaw is Solskjaer's most composed defender and those attributes are needed for a team that looks nervous and shaky.

Playing Shaw as a centre-back would also mean that Alex Telles would get more game time and whatever your views on the Brazilian, there's a player in there. He was one of the best left-backs in Europe at Porto. If Solskjaer gave him a couple of games to get into a rhythm, I think he could blossom back into the player he was.

There are some big changes that need to be made at United and it's hard to see how they come back from this.

Should Shaw move as a left centre-back? Follow our United On My Mind writer Omar Garrick on Twitter to get involved in the discussion and give us your thoughts on the matter in the comments section below.