Ralf Rangnick left Manchester United under a cloud earlier this year after failing to improve the club's fortunes during his ill-fated interim stint.
The highly-rated German coach was viewed as the ideal candidate to steady the ship at Old Trafford until a new permanent manager could be appointed in the wake of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's emotional exit back in November.
Rangnick was then earmarked to transition into a two-year consultancy role - but it became clear that the 64-year-old's days at the club were numbered after the former RB Leipzig chief decided to 'combine' his Manchester United duties with that of the Austria national team head coach role.
Prior to his exit, Rangnick made a number of transfer recommendations to the Old Trafford hierarchy, and he also expressed a desire to meet with Erik ten Hag to give the new United boss a detailed handover ahead of his arrival. United had no interest in taking Rangnick up on either of those things - and they look set to ignore another of Rangnick's warnings in relation to Luke Shaw.
The Manchester Evening News revealed earlier this week that the club are planning to exercise a one-year option in the England left-back's contract to prevent him from leaving the club this summer when he is due to become a free agent.
Although the club are unlikely to make a decision over Shaw's long-term future right now, the move has still been scrutinised by some fans given that Shaw has a chequered injury history and has already lost his spot in the team to summer signing Tyrell Malacia.
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And the decision is another call that directly goes against advice from Rangnick - who hinted before he even arrived at the club that he wasn't convinced that Shaw is of the calibre required to play for Manchester United.
Speaking back in 2020, Rangnick said: "I also think that they could do with a left-back. I know they have Luke Shaw but I’m not so sure if he’s still on the same level that you need to be for a club like Manchester United.”
Shaw was snapped up by Manchester United for £27million back in 2014 following his rapid rise at Southampton, but the 27-year-old has failed to live up to expectations at Old Trafford, where he has been plagued by inconsistency and injuries.
Ten Hag made upgrading his full-back options a priority in the wake of United's calamitous campaign last year, although Shaw did start during the defeats against Brighton and Brentford at the start of the campaign.
The United ace is back in training after missing the club's last two matches, but he faces an uphill battle to reclaim his spot in the team in the wake of the impact made by Malacia.
Former Red Devils defender Rio Ferdinand has been so impressed by the Dutch full-back that he's even drawn comparisons between him and United icon Patrice Evra. Speaking after last month's win over Liverpool, Ferdinand said: “He [Malacia] reminds me of Patrice Evra in many ways.
"He's athletic, he looks like a pound-for-pound strong kid. There aren't many left-backs in European or world football in the last four or five years who have gone out of a game and kept Mohamed Salah quiet."
