Luke Shaw remains one of English football’s most exciting prospects after joining Manchester United from Southampton in June 2014.
The talented defender’s Southampton career began in 2004, when he joined the south-coast outfit as a 10-year-old, after being released by boyhood favourites Chelsea for being too small. Shaw then rose through the ranks, and made his first-team debut in 2012, aged 16.
He went on to nail down the left-back spot at the club, as he flourished under the tutelage of Nigel Adkins and Mauricio Pochettino, eventually amassing 67 appearances for the Saints before leaving for the north in 2014.
Although injuries disrupted his debut campaign as a Red, when he made just 20 first-team outings across all competitions, the defensive livewire convinced many observers that he could become an important cog in United’s machine.
However, the left-back endured a nightmare 2015/16 campaign, as he suffered a horrific leg break in a Champions League tie with PSV Eindhoven, which ruled him out for the season, after he had began the term in fine form.
Following his return to training in April 2016, Shaw said: "I have missed football so much. It was hard for me to watch it at times because I just wanted to be out there playing so badly.”
The England international returned stronger and desperate to impress new boss Jose Mourinho in 2016/17 but, sadly, it was largely a campaign of niggling injuries that hampered his progress. He managed to make 19 appearances across all competitions and repaid his manager’s faith with some strong showings, before a foot injury ended his campaign prematurely.
The 2017/18 season was very stop-start for Shaw and again he only made 19 first-team appearances. However, the defender was always reliable when called upon and played a significant role in United’s run to the FA Cup final.
This campaign has proven to be much more fruitful for Shaw. His disappointment of being left out of Gareth Southgate's World Cup has only spurred him on to greater things and he began the season in superb form, and was named the club's Player of the Month for both August and September 2018.
His good showings saw him earn a recall to the England squad in August and two months later he was rewarded with a new contract at United.
