Now worth more than Shaw: INEOS will "regret selling" Man Utd star for £5m

As Manchester United prepare to face off against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League next week, there is every likelihood that an intriguing milestone will be achieved.

Should captain Bruno Fernandes feature against the Midlands side, it will mark the 30-year-old’s 278th game for United in all competitions, drawing the playmaker level with teammate Luke Shaw.

Why is that significant? Well, Shaw signed for the Red Devils back in the summer of 2014. Fernandes, meanwhile, did not make the move to Manchester until January 2020.

While that highlights the remarkable durability of the former Sporting CP star, who has missed just three games due to illness or injury since signing for the club – according to Transfermarkt – it also showcases just how unfortunate Shaw has been by contrast, with the Englishman so often finding himself on the sidelines.

The 29-year-old – who signed a new long-term deal back in 2023 – has not actually started a game for the club since back in February 2024, with it yet to be seen just whether he will actually make his long-awaited return before the season is out.

The latest on Luke Shaw’s injury

Like any player would be, Shaw admitted he was “devastated” to have suffered a setback in his recovery late last year, with the long-serving full-back breaking down again after making three substitute appearances following Ruben Amorim’s arrival.

Those three outings remain the only time the England international has featured for the club this season, with the defender also missing the final three months of 2023/24 – despite ultimately then playing a cameo role at Euro 2024.

As for this latest absence, Amorim suggested last month that the £150k-per-week star had just a “small issue”, although only now has the experienced defender been pictured back in first-team training.

This follows claims from the former Sporting boss that Shaw could be among those to return before the campaign wraps up, with there seemingly a role for the experienced asset in Amorim’s ranks, amid his ability to operate at left centre-back, or at left wing-back.

On the other hand, with Amorim evidently unable to rely on the former Southampton man, he has found other solutions in those roles in the form of Ayden Heaven and Harry Amass, with the emergence of the pair perhaps marking the beginning of the end for Shaw’s time at United.

Equally, the left-footer’s decline may also have INEOS reflecting on their decision to cash in on a potential replacement last summer, with Alvaro Fernandez having enjoyed a real rise since then.

Man Utd already sold the perfect Shaw replacement

As the man who scored England’s opener in the Euro 2020 final against Italy, Shaw has showcased that he can be an ideal fit at left wing-back under Amorim, albeit while hardly offering a long-term solution.

In the case of Fernandez, United could well have had a figure for both the present and future, with the young Spaniard notably operating as a wing-back during his time on loan at Preston North End.

An attack-minded talent, the 22-year-old initially made the move to Manchester in the summer of 2020 from Real Madrid, as part of a trio of Spain-based imports, including Atletico Madrid’s Alejandro Garnacho and Barcelona’s Marc Jurado.

Described by talent scout Jacek Kulig as a player with an “amazing engine and quality” during his time in the Carrington youth ranks, Fernandez chalked up 14 goals and assists in 47 U23 games for the club, while also registering six assists during his temporary stint at Deepdale.

Frustratingly, however, such form did not lead to a chance at first-team level for the rampaging full-back, even with Erik ten Hag having been forced to deploy the likes of Sofyan Amrabat in that left-sided berth last season.

Indeed, back in January 2024, United moved to end Sergio Reguilon’s loan move, before then allowing Fernandez to make an initial temporary switch to Benfica. That decision was a head-scratching one, considering the absence of Tyrell Malacia, with that then compounded amid Shaw’s blow soon after.

Even despite starting this season without either Malacia or Shaw, Ten Hag and INEOS still opted to allow Fernandez to move to Lisbon permanently for a reported fee of just £5m, with the Spain U21 international having since registered eight goals and assists in 41 games in 2024/25.

That form had even led to talk of a return to Old Trafford in the most recent window, amid the presence of a £15m buy-back clause, albeit with Amorim and co instead forking out £30m for Patrick Dorgu.

That interest in a potential reunion has only served to showcase why United will “regret selling” Fernandez in the first place, as per analyst Ben Mattinson, particularly considering he is now deemed to be worth £15m, as per Transfermarkt. Shaw, by contrast, is now worth just £13m.

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The question now remains as to whether the 6 foot 1 starlet will ever end up back in Manchester, although having found his feet in Lisbon, would the youngster even be keen to return?

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