An unexpected leader. This is what Erik ten Hag was surprised to see emerging in his ranks, over the months, in the person of Luke Shaw (27). The 27-year-old left-back, who had a very complicated start to the 2022-2023 season under the orders of the Dutch technician after the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, has now been impressing for several weeks. To the point of having become an essential element of the workforce of Ten Hag, to impose itself in central defense and to push Harry Maguire or even Lisandro Martinez on the bench. However, everything was far from a foregone conclusion for the English international (28 caps, 3 goals).
Already, because Erik ten Hag had pushed hard to attract Tyrell Malacia to Old Trafford last summer, with the idea of making him his starter in the left lane of defense. And that Luke Shaw did not survive the nightmarish start to the Red Devils season in the Premier League (2 defeats in a row, against Brighton then at Brentford). This led the Dutch manager to leave the player trained in Southampton on the bench (or dismiss him) from the group for 8 games in a row in all competitions, after having brought him out at half-time during the humiliation in the face of the Bees.
Shaw made everyone agree
The heavy defeat in the first derby of the season, against Manchester City (6-3) at the Etihad marked the turning point in the duel between the two men. Completely overwhelmed against the Sky Blues, Malacia gave way to Shaw at the break, when the score was 4-0. The Englishman limits the damage and convinces his coach to line him up for the next match. Since then, Luke Shaw has not left the Manchester United XI, which has lost only once in the league since October 9 (1-3, at Aston Villa).
Efficient, regular and even decisive (1 assist at Chelsea, 1 goal at Bournemouth), the native of Kingston upon Thames was able to raise the bar to get everyone to agree. More than that, he even proved his worth recently in central defence. Aligned for the first time against Nottingham Forest (3-0) on December 27 alongside Raphaël Varane, Luke Shaw showed a very interesting face in this position, leading Ten Hag to take him back to Wolverhampton (1-0) , then above all, in the clash against City (2-1), at Old Trafford, on January 14.
A central defender is born
To control Erling Haaland and his gang, Ten Hag therefore decided to trust the Englishman, to the detriment of the club captain, Harry Maguire, or even the Argentinian world champion Lisandro Martinez. It took him very badly. The Cyborg and Kevin De Bruyne were silenced, notably by the complementary hinge Varane-Shaw. “I was quite surprised to play in this position, to be honest, in such a big game! » the versatile defender bluntly admitted after the victory in the derby a few days ago. And Shaw to continue. “Fortunately, the manager trusts me there. »
Far from innocuous words, which contrast with the less than complimentary remarks made by the Mancunian coach at the time, a certain José Mourinho. “Shaw was in front of me and I made all the decisions for him. He needs to change his soccer brain. We need his fantastic physical and technical qualities, but he can’t keep playing with my brain.”released the Special One, after a Premier League meeting in 2017. That time seems in any case to be over for the left side of the Three Lions, who has taken on a new dimension at MU.
Ten Hag completely conquered
“Luke has the physical power to compete with them (Haaland and De Bruyne) and also has the tactical vision to make the right decision and the technical skills to play in this position.justified Erik ten Hag just before the match at Crystal Palace (1-1), Wednesday, before praising his n°23. I love that he is so honest. After the second game, he didn’t play and said: “I understand perfectly, my performance is not good”. He is a high level player. I don’t mean just as a team player, he’s a leader. He has shown a lot of leadership abilities – he is the example right now – and with his skills and physical power he brings a lot to the team. But now also with his mentality. »
And Erik Ten Hag to conclude. “I’m really happy with his development. Whether as a central defender or a left-back, he is a great player and a great personality for the dressing room. » As his contract with Manchester United expired next June, Luke Shaw made the choice last December to activate the option allowing him to extend for a year and now be linked to the Red Devils until 2024 , just like Rashford, Dalot and Fred. Proof that he (finally) feels like a fish in water at Manchester United. Ten Hag, who holds a weight leader, can be proud to have participated in the beautiful revival of Luke Shaw.
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