Shaka Hislop Sees Luke Shaw As An Option For West Ham

Shaka Hislop has told ESPN that he believes West Ham would be the ideal move for Luke Shaw. The 21 year-old’s career has stalled at Manchester United and the West Ham legend believes that London Stadium could provide the opportunity to revive his fortunes.

Shaw has not featured in the Premier League since the end of October and was omitted from the Manchester United squad that faced AS Saint-Étienne in the Europa League second leg on Wednesday night.

Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images

The Red Devils entered the game with a commanding 3-0 aggregate lead, seemingly the perfect opportunity to get Shaw some playing time, but Mourinho said:

"He stayed behind in Manchester because I am playing with Daley Blind, Marcos Rojo, Matteo Darmian, and all of them are playing the way I like full-backs to play

Luke has to wait for his chance, he has to work better and better, knowing that I give nothing for free. When I give something for the players it is expensive for me, it is not cheap.”

With opportunities for playing time scarce, Hislop believes that London Stadium could be the place for Shaw to get regular football:

"If I'm Luke Shaw or his agent, I'm thinking: 'Yes, it's time to move on', I don't see him fitting into Jose Mourinho's plans and maybe it's time to seek pastures new.

From a Manchester United perspective, Luke Shaw is a highly-regarded player who they spent a lot of money on. He's back from his horrific injury and he's still only 21 years old.

If I'm Man United I don't want to give this player up yet, I don't want to give up on him. Maybe the option for them if he doesn't fit into Mourinho's immediate plans is to send him out on loan.

"Maybe to a club like West Ham who have a history of bringing players through. But if I'm Luke Shaw's agent and I can get a big-money move away, I would seriously consider that."

Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images

Currently, Aaron Creswell is playing well at left back and would likely keep Shaw out of the team, if the move were to happen. But if Shaw was able to move to the other side, it could be a different story and may solve West Ham’s long-standing right back issues.

Sam Byram can’t stay fit, and when he does play he only manages to show flashes of talent; in his absence there has been much rotation at the position. Most recently, it has been Cheikhou Kouyaté who has been filling in at right back, and doing a splendid job I might add.

Adding a proper right back should be a top priority for West Ham. Of course that means the club will everything possible to avoid making a logical transfer move during the summer transfer window.

Photo by Tony Marshall/Getty Images

It wasn’t too long ago that Luke Shaw was compared to Gareth Bale. Both players came through the Southampton youth system and established themselves at left back when they were young. Shaw was a first team regular in the Saints’ first season back in Premiership, and seemed destined for greatness.

When Roy Hodgson chose 18-year-old Shaw over Ashley Cole for the 23-man England squad for the 2014 World Cup, it seemed like a changing of the guard. After two remarkable seasons for Southampton, Shaw had established himself as one of the most coveted young talents in England.

Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images

In June 2014, Shaw signed for Manchester United for a fee of £30 million and was expected to be the long-term replacement for Patrice Evra. Interestingly, then-Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho pulled out of the transfer because he felt the transfer fee and £100,000 per week wages were too high. Implying that Shaw had not earned the right to be worth that much money.

Shaw was on his way to establishing himself in the Manchester United first team under Louis van Gaal, but suffered horrific double leg break in September 2015. Upon his return from injury Mourinho does not seem to have changed his opinion and the left back is firmly out of favour at Manchester United.

Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images

Clearly Mourinho does not appreciate Shaw’s effort on the training pitch, which bodes ill for his chances of fully establishing himself in the team. Van Gaal was another critic of Shaw’s mentality and motivation to return to peak performance.

With West Ham’s excellent history of developing young English talent, Shaw would be a in great position to succeed. Our fan base is very patient with youngsters and he could get immediate playing time if the move were to materialise. Let’s hope Bilic was tuning in to hear Hislop’s advice!