Manchester United’s incredible rise in fortunes has not only strengthened Old Trafford’s shaky ship, but also allowed them to race for the title this season.
The revival of the team could not be better reflected in the example of United and England defender Luke Shaw.
According to The Telegraph, Shaw’s return to the top of his game highlighted the character that Eric ten Hag instilled in his new United look.
United and Shaw had a poor start to the season; successive defeats at the hands of Brighton and Brentford left Ten Hug facing a mountain, and Shaw dropped out of the first XI.
Summer Singing Tyrel Malasia showed courage and determination in his first performances, and that was enough to keep the Show on the sidelines for the next eight weeks.
Since then, Shaw and his teammates have learned that under this regime, anything less effective on and off the field is unacceptable.
Now Shaw has pushed ahead in front of the raw but exciting Malasia to cement his place as one of Ten Haga’s most reliable players.
The left-back’s abilities have never been questioned, but his mentality and consistency have held him back in recent seasons.
Now Shaw is undoubtedly one of the best outfield defenders in the country and has turned into an unexpected but very capable central defender option for Ten Hag.
While this is a tribute to United’s outstanding coaching, it reinforces Shaw’s improved attitude and commitment, as Ten Hag emphasized.
“You can see when he has the right approach, he is the best player, he is an example of how to win big games. I am very pleased with his development — I think he was huge both as a central midfielder and as a left wing-back.” he said.
Shaw’s off-field attitude has also matured noticeably, he speaks clearly and individually when talking to the media, and his presence in the locker room is becoming more noticeable, again, as his manager notes.
“He’s a leader. He has demonstrated a lot of leadership abilities — he is an example at the moment. He’s a great player and a great personality for the locker room.” he said.
The revival of the Show should serve as an example for any current or future player playing for Manchester United.
Unlikely title-winning United now face a huge five days in a row with games in London against Crystal Palace and Arsenal respectively.
