The Premier League season for Manchester United hasn’t gotten off to the best of starts as they’ve struggled to overpower opponents in their opening games, and Erik ten Hag is becoming concerned about injury worries.

An update on the Red Devils’ efforts to bolster their team in the wake of Luke Shaw’s concerning injury has just surfaced.

Who might succeed Luke Shaw at Manchester United?

The Athletic reports that Manchester United is “exploring” a deal to acquire Chelsea left-back Marc Cucurella prior to the deadline on Friday.

The magazine revealed on Twitter:

After Luke Shaw sustained a serious muscle injury and was ruled out for a while, Manchester United is considering a deal for Marc Cucurella.

In a follow-up piece, The Athletic’s Pol Ballus stated that Manchester United and Chelsea had informal discussions on a potential loan deal for the upcoming season, as he is seen as a temporary substitute for Shaw.

The calibre of Marc Cucurella?

It shouldn’t come as a shock that Man United is scrambling to add full-back reinforcements in the final hours of the summer transfer season because Shaw and Tyrell Malacia will both be out of commission for the foreseeable future.

Due to a muscular injury, Shaw is expected to be sidelined until November. Malacia, Shaw’s backup, has been sidelined with a persistent knee ailment for the majority of the season. Malacia’s rehabilitation timetable is identical to that of his colleague.

In order to fill the quality and availability gaps on the left flank, Ten Hag must immediately hire a left-back who can also contribute at Old Trafford. Cucurella’s experience in the Premier League and Champions League will be a huge asset in their search.

Ben Chilwell has so far been Mauricio Pochettino’s preferred starting option for the Chelsea star, while youth prospect Ian Maatsen has moved up the pecking order to become the second in command. The Chelsea star has struggled to make the desired impact at Stamford Bridge since his £60 million move from Brighton and Hove Albion last summer.

The Man United manager now has the chance to replicate his Mason Mount masterclass by reentering Chelsea’s ranks. Although Mount, like his old teammate Cucurella, has had a rocky start to life at Old Trafford, he has demonstrated his ability at the highest level before. Mount has yet to score while wearing the United colours.

Ten Hag might in fact give Cucurella a second chance to play for the first squad, which would certainly be enticing to the left-back and provide the Blues the chance to further offload a player who doesn’t make the cut.

The £175k per week Spaniard, who was once called “sensational” by journalist Josh Bunting, finished last season in the top 20% of his Premier League positional peers for assists, pass completion, passes into the final third, tackles won, dribblers tackled, and touches per 90 minutes played, according to FBref.

Cucurella’s output was similar to Shaw’s last season in a number of ways, including goal contributions (2 v 3), pass completion (84.3% v. 83.7%), successful take-ons (35.7% v. 35.9%), and aerial duels won (55.2% v. 61.3%), demonstrating that he could be a good temporary fix for Ten Hag’s biggest problem.

That being said, it would be a no-brainer for Man United to hire Cucurella for the upcoming campaign because of his extensive experience and resemblance to Shaw. Ten Hag would then have a player who can easily fit into the team at Old Trafford.