Last summer nothing seemed to trouble Luke Shaw. After an exciting season at Southampton he managed to oust veteran Ashley Cole from the England squad and booked a ticket to the World Cup in Brazil. Still only a teenager the left-back then completed a £27m move to Manchester United.

But since his big transfer, Shaw’s footballing career hasn’t flourished in the way he would have hoped.

Injury and fitness issues have hindered the England international’s stint so far at Old Trafford.

Man Utd boss Louis van Gaal wouldn’t be impressed with Shaw when he first turned up for preseason with the Red Devils. The Dutchman stated:

“Luke needs to be fit and he’s not very fit. He can’t perform how I want.”

A hamstring injury meant he would miss the start of the season.

When Luke did play, he still failed to convince Van Gaal that he was the best player to fill the left-back role. Youngster Tyler Blackett would be used while Shaw was out and a back three was often used in the opening months.

Getting papped out partying or going for meals with pals after poor Man Utd displays didn’t go down well with the United faithful.

Shaw was subbed at half-time during United’s defeat against Arsenal due to injury and that seemed to sum up the full-backs debut season at Old Trafford.

Things seemed to improve in the final few months of the campaign with the player producing a fine display against Chelsea in mid April.

Shaw has just turned twenty and now needs to improve vastly and rediscover the form that won him his big move or he could be left with his Man Utd career in tatters.

This summer Shaw decided to take a fitness coach with him on holiday in a move to make sure he’s fit for the new season. It should at least show Van Gaal and the clubs fans that the young left-back is at least serious about making a positive impact this season and not leave without a fight.

In the past week Shaw was joined at United by former Saints teammate Morgan Schneiderlin. Many have credited Luke for convincing the French international that Man United was the right destination for him. It could be said that if the Schneiderlin anecdote is actually true, then it has been Luke Shaw’s biggest contribution to the club so far.

But the deal to bring in the French midfielder may actually hamper Shaw’s chances of more first team opportunities at Old Trafford.

It’s likely that the summer signings of Morgan and German middle-man Bastian Schweinsteiger will mean that Dutchman Daley Blind will move permanently to a left-back role and battle with Shaw for a starting place.

Blind had a fantastic World Cup in Brazil and took to his responsibilities at Manchester Utd quicker than Shaw did last term. He’s also a dependable performer who has won the trust of Louis van Gaal. He is an intelligent team player and those are components that Louis values extremely highly.

That is yet another obstacle that Luke Shaw has to overcome at Old Trafford. But he should look at his club captain as an example to follow.

It was widely thought that Wayne Rooney would be dropped by Van Gaal with the Dutch manager preferring fellow countryman Robin van Persie. But Rooney stayed fit, worked hard and showed Van Gaal he could learn and do anything for the team. He revelled when he was made captain, while Van Persie struggled with injuries and couldn’t regain top form. This summer it was Robin who was moved on.

Shaw needs to show that he too can learn from the legendary Dutch coach. That the team’s goals are paramount to success and that fitness is key to gaining a place in the United first team.

If he can stay fit and show that he has matured, is committed to learn and do anything for the teams cause then he should make it impossible for Van Gaal to keep him out of the team.

But should he have a repeat of last season then the young full-back could be sold on next summer and classed as a Manchester United failure.

Posted on July 20th, 2015 by scott
Filed under: Article