Wayne Rooney labelled Myles Lewis-Skelly as a “no-brainer” signing for Manchester United after conceding to being concerned by Luke Shaw’s pre-season performance against AC Milan.
United have had something of a quiet transfer window, making just two outfield acquisitions ahead of Michael Carrick’s first full season in charge, with Andrey Santos and Youri Tielemans coming in to bolster the midfield.
But left-back remains an area of need for United, with that issue coming into focus last weekend as 31-year-old Shaw struggled in a 4-2 defeat to a Milan side led by former Red Devils boss Ruben Amorim.
In the first episode of his new ‘Stick to United’ podcast, United legend Rooney conceded they are unlikely to be able to depend on Shaw, who co-host Mark Goldbridge blamed for all four of Milan’s goals.
And he pointed to Arsenal defender Lewis-Skelly as a potentially astute signing who would address that issue while providing flexibility further up the pitch.
Rooney said: “I thought he [Shaw] had a really good season last season, but he didn’t have the best game against AC Milan
“So, I don’t think you can rely on Luke Shaw to be consistent for the whole season.”
On Lewis-Skelly, he added: “I know we’re hearing that he’s available for not much money. ‘I think it’s an absolute no-brainer.
“I think if you can get a player who can play left-back, he can play centre-midfield. He’s young. He’s got a massive future ahead of him. I think that’s absolute no-brainer if you can bring him in.”
Rooney also revealed his worries around United’s midfield despite the arrivals of Santos and Tielemans, and pointed to one of the latter’s former Aston Villa team-mates as having the right profile for what Carrick needs in his engine room.
“I don’t know who this player is, but I’d like to see some physicality in the middle of the pitch,” Rooney explained. “A big box-to-box midfield player who can break up play, can drive with the ball, can see a pass, but ultimately he’s got to be in that middle of the pitch and you’ve got that physicality.
“I think if you look at Tielemans, you look at [Kobbie] Mainoo, you look at Santos, they’re all small lads, there’s not much pace among the three of them.
“Probably like [Amadou] Onana for Villa, maybe not him, but that profile of player is what United need in the middle.”
