Show of strength sees Shaw fight back to earn deal
LUKE SHAW has proved his strength of character to come through the brutal tough-love approach of Jose Mourinho and earn a new lucrative Manchester United contract.
The 23-year-old, who has signed a fiveyear deal worth £195,000 a week, said in the summer he wanted to earn a new contract on merit rather than sign one simply so United could protect his market value.
And the former Southampton star has done just that, establishing himself as United’s first-choice left-back and proving his doubters wrong – not least his own boss.
Under Mourinho – and previously Louis van Gaal – Shaw was publicly slated for weight problems and a lack of focus and commitment.
The talent was clearly there, but the application and professionalism was not, with Shaw in danger of watching a career at the highest level slip away.
But the new deal is evidence of his mental strength and refusal to give up.
Talented
Old Trafford boss Mourinho said: “Luke fully deserves this contract. He understood his development process, he has worked really hard at every level and he always believes in himself, which is a great attribute to have.
“Luke is still young and is improving and he must feel very proud of himself.
“I am delighted that we are keeping such a talented young English player with a bright future ahead of him.”
Shaw said: “It’s been an odd few years for me.
“There have been ups and downs, but now it’s all about looking forward and how much I can help the team become a success again.
“If you looked at my situation for the last year and a bit, you would have thought this could have been kind of impossible. But I worked hard, I wanted to be here and I wanted to make sure my future was here to help this club.
“I knew how important this season was going to be, especially the start of it, coming into the last year of my contract and I’m really happy to be in this form.
“Over the pre-season I was working hard to give myself the best opportunity to get in the team. I’ve done that but the hard work isn’t over.
“I want to stay in the team now, I want to keep the shirt, so I keep going, keep focused, keep concentrated. That’s what I’m going to be doing.”
His Old Trafford career got off to the worst possible start following his £27m move from Southampton in 2014 when Van Gaal said he was overweight on United’s pre-season tour and made him train alone.
It was a brutal introduction to football at the highest level, but worse was to come in September 2015 when he suffered an horrific double leg break in a Champions League game against PSV.
It ruled him out for 11 months and, he admitted later, nearly cost him his leg.
He returned the following season, but his progress was understandably slow – although Mourinho was never slow in criticising him.
The lowest point saw him subbed at half-time in an FA Cup tie against Brighton, with the United boss again publicly slamming him.
Then he was pictured on holiday in Ibiza looking overweight and out of shape, reigniting the debate over whether he had the discipline to make it as a United player.
At that stage there seemed no way back but a phone call from Mourinho over the summer, telling Shaw he still had faith in him, proved the catalyst for the defender to reclaim his place and earn a new deal.
He went on a boot camp in Dubai with United’s fitness and conditioning coach Gary Walker, designed to get him in peak shape for the new season.
The hard work paid off, with Shaw starting the season ahead of World Cup hero Ashley Young, being voted the club’s player of the month for August and September and earning an England recall.
With a new deal and new belief, Shaw is finally threatening to fulfil his massive potential.