With a £27 million deal still on the cards for Southampton‘s Luke Shaw, Manchester United are heavy favourites to sign the England youngster.
However, with Shaw being a Chelsea fan and Manchester City needing to sign English players to boost their quota for their Champions League squad, United could still face a battle to sign a player who has unexpectedly found his way on the plane to Brazil.
With that in mind, it’s time to examine any alternatives that United could look at in case they do not get their man.
Sead Kolasinac
Back in April, Kolasinac claimed that he was mulling over an offer from United but since then, his agent has said he was misquoted. Regardless of that, he is undoubtedly a very talented defender.
After scoring two goals in seven appearances for Schalke’s reserve side, he was promoted to the senior side last year and made his debut in a 2-0 victory over Greuter Furth.
His performance made a lasting appearance as he went on to make sixteen appearances in the 2012-13 season.
This season has seen him progress even further as he made his international debut for Bosnia and Herzegovina, despite playing for Germany at the lower levels of international football.
He may not have registered a goal at senior level but in a similar manner to Patrice Evra, he is adept at going forward, creating ten chances this season, three of which led to goals for his side.
This, coupled with the fact he has made no defensive errors this season, means he could be a snip for the reds at a rumoured price of £6 million.
Alberto Moreno
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A product of Sevilla’s youth academy, Moreno has been making waves in Spain this season having won the Europa League, made his Spain debut and he looks set to be on the plane to Brazil after being named in the provisional World Cup squad.
The 21 year old has been at Sevilla since the age of 13 but only made his debut last year in a 3-1 victory over Deportivo La Coruna.
For Sevilla, he often played as a winger which can easily be spotted in his style today.
Epitomising the role of a modern full back, Moreno has managed to score three goals, whilst creating seventeen chances for his side.
With both Liverpool and Chelsea sniffing around hopefully at a £15 million price tag, United would need to act fast to sign the youngster if they wanted him.
Ricardo Rodriguez
With over 100 games under his belt, despite being only 21, Rodriguez possesses a lot of experience at the top level.
That experience was most noticeable this season where he staked his claim as Wolfsburg’s first choice left back.
In his first two seasons at the club following his move from FC Zurich, Rodriguez made 41 appearances. This season alone he has made 34 in the league with four more in the cup.
It is his talent going forward which has sparked the interest from the top clubs throughout Europe.
During the 24 appearances he made in the 2012-13 season, he produced five assists for his team-mates, something which he has drastically improved on this season.
In his 34 appearances, he has scored 5 goals and produced 9 assists, helping Wolfsburg to qualify for the Europa League.
Who should Manchester United look at signing if Luke Shaw deal doesn’t go through?
Ashley Cole
Cast asunder in favour of Cesar Azpilicueta, during Jose Mourinho‘s second spell at Chelsea, Cole is expected to leave at the end of the season on a free transfer.
It could prove to be a rare error of judgement on Mourinho‘s part to let someone of Cole’s expertise leave so freely.
When faced with a raft of games and Azpilicueta suspended, Mourinho was forced to play Cole against both Athletico Madrid and Liverpool.
Despite only playing one game for his club since January, Cole was able to step up and produce two fantastic displays in which Chelsea kept two clean sheets.
Cole certainly has a few more years at the top level in him and if United wanted to go with the cheapest option, which would allow them to spread their resources elsewhere, then Cole could be an option.
Lucas Digne
He may have somehow found his way into the France squad but Digne’s move to Paris St Germain has hardly helped his career.
On the brink of greatness with LOSC Lille, Digne opted to move to the French capital in a deal believed to be worth €15 million.
But the 20-year-old has largely played second fiddle to Brazilian Maxwell having made just 16 appearances, compared to Maxwell’s 29.
If compatriot Evra stays at United, the chance to learn from someone, who at one time could arguably claim to be the best left back in the world, could prove tempting for young Digne, who would also see his chance for a first team slot drastically improve.
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