Luke Shaw has been selling Manchester United to his England team-mates and says he would take Harry Kane and Declan Rice at Old Trafford “in a heartbeat”.
Having continued their winning start to Euro 2024 qualification by beating Malta 4-0 on Friday, Gareth Southgate’s side have been preparing at Carrington for the season finale against North Macedonia.
Shaw posted an Instagram story on Saturday showing pictures of him at the United training base next to Kane and Rice with the caption “Carrington tour” and an eyes emoji.
The lighthearted post comes with the futures of Tottenham striker Kane and West Ham captain Rice among the highest profile of many transfer talking points surrounding this group of England players.
“It is not normally discussed but, because of the time of the season and what is going on, there is a lot of talk, a lot of banter,” Shaw said.
“I would love a few of them to join United – I am not going to lie. I am speaking to them, telling them how good Manchester is because I know their qualities.
“I know they are world-class players and they would be a massive help to us but I can only say so much. It is up to the club and whatever they decide, so we have to go from there.”
Shaw joked “hopefully they like it and can get used to it” at United, who have a long-standing interest in Kane and Rice but are understood to view deals for the duo as highly unlikely.
Mason Mount – absent from the England camp through injury – is the more immediate midfield prospect as United look to build on a promising first season under Erik ten Hag.
“Yes, half joking,” the left-back said of the Instagram post. “It is a bit of both. I know they are both world-class players and I don’t know what is going on at their clubs.
“But if it was down to me, I would take them in a heartbeat and they would improve our team massively and help us go to what we want to achieve.”
Shaw said “you could pick anyone in this squad and love them to come” to a United side that are on the up.
“I’ve been here for a long time now,” said the 27-year-old, who joined the Old Trafford outfit from Southampton in 2014.
“I’ve been through very different periods, a lot of ups and downs, but I can feel that the club is going in the right direction now.
“I care about this club a lot and I’ll do anything I can to bring the right players here that I know the manager will like and want and who will definitely improve our team.
“It’s only a matter of time until we’re challenging for the big trophies.”
Shaw openly said at the end of the season that United need “big signings” as Ten Hag continues to shape the squad in his image.
Whether captain Harry Maguire has a part to play in that remains unclear after a season he spent sat on the sidelines far more than he wanted.
Left-back Shaw has even been selected at centre-back ahead of the world’s most expensive defender.
“It’s tough,” he said. “I think a few times Harry has been struggling with a niggle, so he wasn’t always 100 per cent fit.
“But I also do think the manager does like a left-footed centre-back – that’s in his philosophy and the way he wants to play.
“I played there in one game and he really liked me in that position, and he kept me there.
“But of course I’m really close with Harry, we speak a lot and for me personally, whenever I’m on that pitch, I have to do my best and that’s wherever the manager wants me to play.”
Maguire may well start against North Macedonia on Monday, when Shaw will win a 31st cap of an international career that looked like it could fall flat.
He won eight caps between 2014 and 2021, when the Euros final goalscorer kicked on and established himself as Southgate’s first-choice left-back.
“I love it so much,” Shaw said ahead of Monday’s Old Trafford qualifier. “The feeling playing for your country is one of the best ever.
“You touched on appreciating it more, and I definitely do. There were times I made mistakes and didn’t really understand how lucky I was to be in this position.
“For me, I’ve matured, I grew up and I realised how important it is for me to appreciate playing for England.
“I definitely do now. Every time I step out on that pitch I feel lucky and blessed to be in this position.
“Hopefully I can keep giving my best for the country because I love playing for them so much.”
Napoli 1-0 Roma: Lukaku downs former club on Ranieri's return
Claudio Ranieri's Roma return was spoilt by Romelu Lukaku, whose goal against his old club sealed a 1-0 win for Napoli.
Ranieri was appointed Roma boss over the international break, with the 73-year-old coming out of retirement to take charge of the club for a third time.
Yet it was ex-Roma striker Lukaku who decided Sunday's contest at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, with his 54th-minute effort sending Antonio Conte's team back to the top of Serie A.
Lukaku was well-placed to convert from Giovanni Di Lorenzo's cutback, bringing up his fifth Serie A goal of the campaign.
Roma, who had just two attempts and managed only 0.07 expected goals (xG) in the first half, woke up after Lukaku's goal, with Artem Dovbyk powering a header off the woodwork from a free-kick minutes later, but the visitors' comeback attempts proved fruitless.
Ranieri's next task is to rally his troops for a Europa League clash with Tottenham on Thursday.
Data Debrief: Ranieri's underwhelming return
There was no sign of an immediate upturn for 12th-place Roma, if they were hoping for a new-coach bounce.
Roma ended the first half with fewer than 70 successful passes (68). It is the first time they have had so few successful passes in the opening half of a league game since 2004-05.
With only three wins to their name in the league, they have won fewer than four matches in their opening 13 Serie A games for the first time since the 1978-79 campaign (also three).
And of course, it had to be Lukaku, who was leading their line last season, that delivered the hammer blow. The Belgium international has been involved in nine goals in Serie A this term (five goals, four assists). Only his former Everton club-mate Ademola Lookman, now a star at Atalanta, has contributed to more goals in the competition (seven goals, four assists).
Amorim believes Man Utd were guilty of overthinking in Ipswich draw
Ruben Amorim believes Manchester United were guilty of overthinking as his Premier League managerial bow ended in a 1-1 draw at Ipswich Town.
The Red Devils made a flying start to the Portuguese's tenure as Marcus Rashford netted in only the second minute at Portman Road.
But Omari Hutchinson's deflected equaliser restored parity and Andre Onana had to make a couple of big saves from Liam Delap to ensure Amorim started with a point.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Amorim said: "I think my players were thinking too much during the game, they were thinking not just with the ball, but, 'where am I supposed to be?'
"It is hard because the team has been together only two days, I think we needed more in the first half with the physicality, because they left us one against one up front so we have to use those moments to feel the opponent.
"I think we lost some balls without pressure and when you start a game like this, you score one goal, then you have to control the ball, you have to control the tempo of the game.
"We cannot do it at the moment but they tried, they really, really tried. I know for some guys it's hard to understand this but they're trying and they really want this."
Amorim conceded that United, who are 12th in the Premier League, need to be better in their game management moving forward.
"I think that is a concern because you can understand you don't need to coach them at this level (how) you have to keep the ball, put the momentum in to put the ball up front," he added.
"At the end of the game, we are around the box with two strikers, Josh (Zirkzee) has to understand he has to go to the box to have the crosses, so we are doing things not in the right moment. That is something we have to address.
"Everyone talks about the 3-4-3 – that is not the problem, but the understanding of the game... we have to improve in this area."
Ipswich Town 1-1 Manchester United: Hutchinson denies Amorim winning start
Ruben Amorim was denied victory in his first game in charge of Manchester United as they played out a 1-1 draw at Ipswich Town on Sunday.
The visitors made a dream start to Amorim's tenure when Marcus Rashford opened the scoring in only the second minute at Portman Road.
But Omari Hutchinson's deflected equaliser sent Ipswich deservedly into the break on level pegging as the Tractor Boys responded well to the early setback.
United were grateful to Andre Onana for a couple of big saves in a game in which they struggled to test Arijanet Muric in the Ipswich goal after their flying start as the spoils were shared.
Rashford, chosen as a central striker, nipped to the near post to meet Amad Diallo's centre in a sublime start for the Red Devils.
Onana brilliantly kept out Liam Delap from eight yards but could do nothing to prevent Hutchinson's bending 20-yard effort finding the top-left corner via a deflection off the head of Noussair Mazraoui.
Muric smartly prevented Alejandro Garnacho restoring United's lead immediately after the restart, while at the other end Onana again thwarted Delap who thought he had scored with an ingenious flick.
Bruno Fernandes bent a free-kick wide and Conor Chaplin poked straight at Onana as both sides had to settle for a point.
Amorim matches Moyes as it's joy of six for Rashford
It could hardly have been a better start for Amorim, who joins David Moyes as the only manager to see his side score within the opening two minutes of his first Premier League game (Moyes having done so with Everton in March 2002).
However, it marked only the third time United have scored inside two minutes of a Premier League match and not won, with a 2-2 draw with Liverpool in October 1995 and a 6-1 hammering by Tottenham in October 2020 the other occasions.
Rashford was the man to get Amorim off to a flier and he has now scored under six different United managers having registered for Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Ralf Rangnick and Erik ten Hag, more than any other player for the club.
Ipswich, meanwhile, now have four goals scored from outside the penalty area in the Premier League this term - a tally only bettered by Manchester City (7) and Nottingham Forest (5).
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