Luke Shaw's relationship with Jose Mourinho has never been an easy one, but it appears to have reached a new low.

The Times reported on Thursday that the Manchester United boss is no longer speaking to the left-back, the 22-year-old having grown frustrated at his lack of opportunities.

Perhaps that's for the best, as whenever the Portuguese has opened his mouth to the former Southampton man, it's usually been to criticise him.

Granted, the England international has struggled to recapture the form he showed prior to his horrific leg break in 2015.

His confidence can't have been boosted by Mourinho's regular jibes. When he played well against Everton last season, his manager insisted in a post-match press conference that it was only because he was "making every decision for him".

With left-back having turned into a problem position for United, it's unsurprising that Shaw, who was expected to go onto big things at Old Trafford, has been linked with a move away.

For example, the Mirror claimed that Fulham's Ryan Sessegnon, Celtic's Kieran Tierney, and Tottenham's Danny Rose were all being considered as replacements, the latter in a potential swap deal. 

Rose would make the most sense, as he's the most established of the trio and voiced his unhappiness at Spurs' wage structure in an interview with the Sun in the summer.

Shaw's comments in Guillem Balague's book on Mauricio Pochettino, Brave New World, are only going to fuel those links.

Praise for Pochettino 

"He used to call me his son," the defender said of the Argentine, who he played under at Southampton, per the Mail.

"That's how good our relationship was. I've had lots of ups and downs, but when I was with Pochettino it was only ever up, up, up.

"I do hope that I can play for him again one day. And I think he really wants me to play under him again."

Pochettino has a burgeoning reputation for developing full-backs, establishing Rose and Kyle Walker as some of the Premier League's finest, and now attempting the same with Ben Davies and Kieran Trippier.

The timing of the book is certainly interesting; mid-season, it's bound to cause a stir in some quarters, but it's fair to say Shaw has very little to lose. Mourinho has already been rotating him with Matteo Darmian, Marcos Rojo, and Daley Blind, so it may be time for him to push for a move.

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