Luke Shaw’s big-money move from Southampton to Manchester United threatened to propel the left-back to superstardom but it could be argued that his career has actually regressed at Old Trafford.
Touted as the next big thing, the Kingston-born defender was one of a number of players to leave the Saints a few years ago, with the likes of Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren and Nathaniel Clyne all swapping St Mary’s for Anfield.
Of those who quit the south coast, it could be argued that Shaw’s transfer to the Red Devils was the most high-profile and he made his England debut in 2014.
Having made just 16 Premier League appearances in his first season in the North West, a leg break on September 15 2015 ended his second year at the club after just five outings and was clearly a huge setback to his confidence.
Shaw made his first competitive appearance since suffering the injury in August last year but, far from going on to win his place back in the side, the 21-year-old has spent the majority of the campaign on the substitutes’ bench, with just eight league outings to date.
Something was clearly amiss and Jose Mourinho’s public lambasting of the youngster and decision to play Ashley Young as a make-shift left-back ahead of the established defender against West Brom suggests the writing could be on the wall for Shaw.
The Portuguese tactician has questioned his attitude in training, suggesting he is “a long way behind’ his team-mates in many ways and lacks ambition.
A few pundits feel the former Chelsea boss may be using his words as an incentive for Shaw to get his act together but it is very unusual for any manager, let alone one as loyal to his squad as the United chief, to be so public in his criticism of a player.
Mourinho is attempting to bring the good times back to United and is desperate to see them in the Champions League next season, and a player such as Shaw should be part of the revolution and not one that is holding them back.
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Mourinho has shown time and again that he is not afraid to make tough decisions and would have no problem in selling the misfiring star if he felt it benefitted the club.
The former Real Madrid coach is all about winning and he will not want a player who cost around £30m warming the bench and contributing little to the cause.
It seems as though Shaw will have few opportunities between now and the end of the season to prove his manager wrong and so the smart money might be on a change of scenery for the stopper next season.
History shows that not all transfers work out how club or player wanted them to, and so it might just be that Shaw made the wrong choice three years ago.
The one positive is that he is still young enough and has the talent to sort things out and enjoy a stunning career.