Luke Shaw: England's best left-back

In his seventh season at Old trafford, Luke shaw has found his feet

Luke Shaw’s recent form has quickly cemented him as England’s first choice left-back for the upcoming EUROS.

Shaw recently showcased his quality in a masterclass against Manchester City, where he scored from a counter-attack to propel Manchester United to a 2-0 derby win.

His quality performance helped end City’s run of 21 successive Premier League victories. United can only hope that their impressive result can spur them on to making a serious title challenge. They currently sit second place in the Premier League – 14 points behind their rivals City, with 10 games remaining.

“They are so far ahead you can’t really think about anything but making sure we win our games and be better than last year,” said United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer after his side’s derby victory.

If City end up hoisting the 2020/21 Premier League trophy, the Red Devils can only blame themselves. Inconsistency has been a regular and unwelcome visitor for them, as frustrating results against the likes of West Brom and Crystal Palace have littered their season.

Despite the fluctuating team form, 25-year-old Shaw has been a constant spark this year, and his performance in the Manchester derby was just a snippet of his class. He has quietly been one of United’s standout performers, notching five assists in 24 league appearances.

Though a defender by position, Shaw thrives most in his attacking creativity – flourishing as a deep attacking threat. He currently leads all defenders in chances created, with 50 to his name.

Luke Shaw has created more chances than any other defender in the Premier League this season. 👑 pic.twitter.com/AD4LDBN2Q9

— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) March 8, 2021

Some of Shaw’s recent success must be credited to his manager Solksjaer though. Despite being called a “fraud” and “P.E. teacher” across social media, Solksjaer seemingly had the perfect plan for Shaw against United’s noisy neighbours.

Giving Shaw the freedom to patrol the wide left of the pitch, the England international was able to exploit the space in behind City’s Joao Cancelo. Shaw’s goal epitomised this.

A long throw from Dean Henderson to Shaw caught City on the back-foot as the left-back charged his way into the box. With the goal in sight, the Shaw played a clever one-two with Marcus Rashford, before driving a low shot into the far corner of the goal.

This was a pattern throughout the game, with Shaw being a crucial part of setting up counter-attacks against the high press of Manchester City.

“This wasn’t the Manchester United I saw bore us all to death against Crystal Palace on Wednesday night. This was a United intent on embarrassing their neighbours, and they did,” Garth Crooks wrote in his Team of the Week column.

With Shaw playing such a crucial role in a flourishing United side, it would be hard to understand any reason why Shaw is not picked for the EUROS. Though he faces some competition around the league, Shaw is clearly the frontrunner for the starting job, with his spot on the squad all but certain now.

With just eight caps to his name, the only major international tournament he has featured in was the 2014 World Cup, making just one appearance against Costa Rica in a disappointing international campaign for England.

Since his big money move from Southampton to Manchester United in 2014, Shaw’s path in Manchester has been far from easy. Deemed “unfit” and “fat” in his first season at the club, Shaw suffered a season-ending broken leg against PSV in the Champions League the following season. Under Jose Mourinho, Shaw faced further criticism and faced stints on the bench and out of the squad.

Despite his tumultuous career so far, it appears that Shaw has finally found his place in the side. He is not only the best left-back on his team, but also in the conversation for the best left-back in the Premier League.

Luke Shaw hasn’t made an England appearance in three years, expect that to change this summer.