Manchester United are reportedly set to keep faith in Luke Shaw long-term in what is the latest twist in the media saga that has developed around the 21-year-old defender's Old Trafford future.
Gossip has been gradually pushing Shaw towards the door all season after it appeared the former Southampton starlet had fallen foul of United boss Jose Mourinho - he was publicly criticised by the manager back in September following a defeat at Watford.
Shaw has also struggled for fitness ever since returning from a career threatening broken leg suffered last season which has also severely limited his playing time of late.
However, according to a refreshing report from the Manchester Evening News, Shaw looks as though he will remain at the club. It is claimed that Mourinho even has plans to make the young England international his first choice left-back in time.
Daley Blind, Matteo Darmian and Marcos Rojo, as well as Shaw, have all played at left-back this season, but this revelation from the local newspaper suggests that dipping into the transfer market for another option is now highly unlikely.
But as Mourinho looks to the future he sees Shaw as being a key part of it and remains impressed by the qualities that the player has and the attributes he has the potential to develop.
Only poor conditioning has kept the other three ahead of Shaw so far.
"By age, by physicality, by intensity, aggressive going forward, [Shaw] should be the best (left-back at the club). But to be the best you need to work hard. It's what he's trying to do," Mourinho recently commented when talking about the player's future.
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