Exclusive: Tottenham could offer Luke Shaw a route out of Manchester United

Tottenham will be contenders to sign Luke Shaw from Manchester United next summer if the defender fails to force his way into Jose Mourinho’s first team plans, a source has told Yahoo Sports.

Shaw emerged as one of the rising stars of English football during his spell working with Mauricio Pochettino at Southampton and we understand that manager now in charge of Tottenham remains a big admirer of the full-back who moved to Old Trafford in a £27m deal in the summer of 2014.

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Pochettino was among the first to contact Shaw and offer his support when he suffered a double leg break in United’s Champions League game against PSV Eindhoven in September 2015, with his support for the full-back evident in his comments shortly after the horrific injury was sustained.

“I felt sick when I watched this moment for Luke,” stated Pochettino at the time. “My relationship with him was always close. I spoke with him on the phone.

“It’s difficult when you have this type of injury and I give him my support. It’s difficult because he was crying and you can understand that after a big injury, not only for the pain but for everything around the situation.”

Mourinho seemed keen to include Shaw in his plans after he took over as United manager last summer, but the 21-year-old has struggled to make his mark after telling his manager he felt some pain in the leg he injured last season.

The United boss was critical of Shaw after his performance in the 3-1 defeat at Watford in September and he also went public in his claims that the defender opted out of the game at Swansea in November due to injury.

Shaw has not made a Premier League appearance for United since October 29^th, with a spell in the treatment room followed by his omission from Mourinho’s plans in the opening few weeks of 2017.

While Shaw’s agent Jonathan Barnett has made it clear that his client is determined to fight for his place in the United team and while we understand that remains his priority in the final weeks of this season, his omission from Mourinho’s set-up for the games against Hull and Leicester in the last two weeks had fuelled his belief that he might not be able to make his mark at United under the current manager.

Shaw has been working hard on his fitness levels in recent months and has been doing additonal work with professionals away from United in a bid to bolster his physical condition, but his future at United remains in doubt.

A move to Spurs next summer would be viewed as a positive career move for Shaw, with his ongoing warm relationship with Pochettino an added attraction for the defender.

United have been heavily linked with a move for Tottenham left-back Danny Rose in recent months, with a swap deal involving the two England stars a possible option in what is likely to be a hectic summer transfer scramble.

As this video confirms, Pochettino and Shaw had a strong bond during their time together at Southampton and now the possibility of the duo being reunited may be under consideration.