There was a harsh reality check for Manchester United after they were thrown out of Sevilla on Sunday night.
Defeat on the part of Ole Gunnar Solskjær condemned them to another trophy-free season, but there has still been promise within the way they have progressed over the past eight months.
Although many fans were disappointed by the anti-climax finals after their extended season which in itself is credit to United for giving fans even the right to dream of European triumph again.
United’s failure was as much about wasted chance for goal as it was about their concentration in the back, and it would be unfair to pin the defeat on each individual alone.
Solskjaer will have learned a lot about his team in recent weeks, as several players have risen to count and shown their enormous value to the first-team squad. But clichés suggest that absence makes the heart fonder, and Luke Shaw is that proof.
It’s no surprise to see that United’s defensive standards fell once Shaw was out of the first-team squad, after his injury they immediately lost points against Southampton last month, and suffered a defeat in the semi-finals of the Premier League. FA Cup, as well as more drop points at home at West Ham.
Brandon Williams started the away game at Leicester on the last day of the season, which brought a return to the Champions League, but even that was somewhat of a misperception, given the abysmal run of the opponents followed by on lock.
Academy sensation Williams has enjoyed a remarkable campaign at Old Trafford and deserves immense credit for the way he was kept informed just a year ago after his rise from U18s football.
(Image: 2020 Manchester United FC)
Less than eleven months after making his debut, the 19-year-old has signed two new long-term professional contracts with United and even left the club to abandon their search for a new left-back late last year. The key is now for him to prove why this search does not need to be rejuvenated soon.
The harsh reality for United, however, is that Williams is not yet entirely ready to be trusted as a first-choice option at left-back, and when Shaw is fully fit, he will surely regain his place in the starting line-up.
Of the 13 clean sheets United kept in the Premier League last season, eight of those came with Shaw in the line-up, while there were only two when Williams replaced him.
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The teenager has emerged in his breakthrough season as a backup option and it was his rise that ruled the flame in Shaw, but now he has to do it again if he is ever to be first choice on merit.
Sunday night’s defeat in Cologne caused many people to re – evaluate their view of the current side under Solskjaer, and for Williams it was a ruthless training of what playing against a quality side of the Champions League really is.
Next season it’s a test that United will have to live up to on a much more regular basis and as things stand, it’s pretty obvious that Shaw deserves to get his place back in the starting line-up.
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