It’s been widely noticed that Manchester United’s first-choice back four this season is likely to be the same one which shipped four away at Brentford back in 2022, the Old Trafford side having perhaps let things slide in that department for too long now.
At right-back, have United ever truly found a successor to Gary Neville, considering the polarising nature of Diogo Dalot’s time at the club?
On the opposite side too, Luke Shaw is now into his 13th season in Manchester, albeit with just a handful of those likely to be deemed a success for the Englishman.
The 31-year-old has creditably forced his way back from the horror injury suffered back in September 2015, yet United need to abandon sentiment and be ruthless in the coming days.
Why Man Utd have left left-back woes fester for too long
From Denis Irwin to Patrice Evra, United were spoiled at left-back for so long, the pair proving so reliable, so consistent in their respective, glittering stints at Old Trafford.
The same, sadly, cannot be said of Shaw, with there a nagging sense that no other elite European outfit would have kept him on board for quite so long.
Yes, the double leg break suffered just over a decade ago also deserves mentioning, yet even prior to that, the ex-Southampton man hadn’t got off the best start under Louis van Gaal, criticised for turning up to pre-season out of shape in 2014.
Shaw PL record – at Man Utd | ||
|---|---|---|
Season | Games | Assists |
25/26 | 38 | 1 |
24/25 | 7 | 0 |
23/24 | 12 | 0 |
22/23 | 31 | 3 |
21/22 | 20 | 3 |
20/21 | 32 | 5 |
19/20 | 24 | 0 |
18/19 | 29 | 4 |
17/18 | 11 | 0 |
16/17 | 11 | 1 |
15/16 | 5 | 1 |
14/15 | 16 | 0 |
Injury and fitness has long been the talking point regarding Shaw, having already been surpassed by Bruno Fernandes in terms of games played for the club, despite the Portuguese only arriving in 2020.
In all, Shaw’s 326 games have yielded just five goals and only 30 assists, with his longevity partly shaped by the woes of his potential replacements over the years, be it Brandon Williams, Alex Telles or Tyrell Malacia.
He did start all 38 league games last season, yet United have put faith in him before and seen it backfire, notably forced to deploy the likes of Sofyan Amrabat and Victor Lindelof at left-back in 2023/24.
Michael Carrick and co can’t afford a repeat scenario this summer.
The modern-day Evra could rival Shaw at Man Utd
The situation at left-back in Erik ten Hag’s second season was almost laughable. The Dutchman loaned in Sergio Reguilón on deadline day, yet the Spaniard returned to Tottenham Hotspur just six months later.
Alvaro Carreras, now at Real Madrid, wasn’t given a chance at all, with both Shaw and Malacia shackled to the treatment table, as United were made to pay for not investing properly in that role.
By all accounts, the man INEOS want in the present day is Lewis Hall, although like Carlos Baleba’s situation, they might have to wait a year to get their prime target in the building.
Perhaps Hall can succeed Shaw in 12 months’ time, although in the short-term, one of the more wildcard options under consideration is Bradley Locko, the 24-year-old currently on the books at Stade Brestois.
According to United insiders, the Frenchman is among those who would be “open to joining” the club before the deadline, with just a year left to run on his deal at present.
Locko is a relatively unknown quantity, it must be said, although United’s last left-back arrival from France didn’t perform too badly, with the aforementioned Evra snapped up from Monaco in January 2026.
A former Champions League finalist with the Ligue 1 side in 2004, Evra, alongside Nemanja Vidic, endured a difficult first six months at Old Trafford, struggling to get up to speed in the Premier League.
By the time of his exit in 2014, he was a five-time Premier League winner and had regularly captained the club in those latter years, emerging as a true cult hero at the club.
Hopefully his compatriot, Locko, can enjoy a similar rise, the Brest star actually the same age that Evra was when he made his £5.5m switch just over 20 years ago.
Now in his sixth season in Ligue 1, Locko – formerly of Reims – hasn’t always been a regular fixture at his current side, having only started 14 league games last term.
That said, he still registered two assists and created three ‘big chances’, with Shaw, meanwhile, registering just one assist and creating only one ‘big chance’ in 2025/26.
Formerly part of Thierry Henry’s France squad for the Olympic Games in 2024, Locko’s best season was arguably that 2023/24 campaign, as he registered three assists in 33 Ligue 1 starts, helping Brest to keep 14 clean sheets.
Like Evra, where he also excels is in his work out of possession too, so tenacious and aggressive from his full-back berth. Take that 2023/24 season, for instance, where he averaged 4.1 tackles and interceptions per game, while also making 6.5 ball recoveries per game.
Comfortable in more of a wing-back role too, the flying defender also averaged a stellar 1.7 successful dribbles per game that year, a stark contrast to Shaw’s 0.3 average last term.
At a time when INEOS don’t appear to be willing or able to splash the cash on the likes of Hall, bringing in a player like Locko could offer a more rogue solution to the club’s ongoing problem at left-back.
