MAN UNITED v LIVERPOOL SHAW’S A CROCK OF GOLD Luke happy he toughed it out
LUKE SHAW has revealed for the first time just how tough he found his first season at Manchester United.
The England left-back admitted he let his critics get to him following his £30m move from Southampton in June of last year.
Shaw was just 18 at the time, making him the world’s costliest teenager.
And he struggled badly in his first campaign, suffering NINE injury setbacks.
He topped off his run of bad luck by getting a concussion at Crystal Palace in May, with the head injury ruling him out of England’s European Under-21 Championship campaign.
Questions were also asked about Shaw’s weight, diet and fitness, with United boss Louis van Gaal and England’s Roy Hodgson raising their concerns publicly.
Admitting he had struggled to come to terms with his big-money switch, Shaw said: “Obviously last season was very difficult for me.
“It was made hard with the injuries that I picked up. That is what knocked my confidence down. I never got fully fit.
“So, whenever I was playing, I wasn’t at my best and I didn’t feel at my best. Now I am playing and I feel great.
“Of course you see the criticism. I think I read too much of it last year. I tend to ignore it now.
“Someone like me, who went for so much money, is always going to have his performances highlighted.”
However, this season Shaw has drawn plenty of attention for all the right reasons and looks much more of a sure thing.
He said: “There are always going to be people doubting me and saying bad stuff about me, but the answer is just to ignore it and carry on playing the way I am.”
So well in fact he insists he is now performing better than he did at Saints.
He has completed every minute possible for United and the Three Lions in eight games since the start of the season, compared to just 21 appearances in the last campaign.
And his flying start led Hodgson to claim Shaw could have the same sort of international career as ex-Chelsea star Ashley Cole, who went on to pick up 107 caps.
“I just feel fresh and fit and hopefully I can get a run of games now and keep my performances up,” said Shaw.
“I trained before I went back to preseason. That was a massive help to me and now I just want to keep on playing well.
“To be honest, I feel better than I did at Southampton.
“Game by game I feel like I’m getting stronger, especially in training. I just want to keep it up now and pray there are no injuries.”
Having struggled initially at Old Trafford, Shaw revealed he will be only too happy to help new £36m signing Anthony Martial.
The former Monaco striker’s fee could eventually rise to £58m, an amount that has raised even more eyebrows than the fee United paid Saints for Shaw.
But the United defender will stress to Martial it is all about staying immune to the critics as the 19-year-old Frenchman finds his way in the Premier League.
“Of course I am always willing to help people, no matter how old they are,” added Shaw.
“I know he might find it a bit tough, with everything that’s going on with social media.
“We have great people at the club – staff and players. We will all welcome him very well.
“Obviously he is a young player with a lot of potential. Hopefully we can help him and he will learn a lot from players like Wayne Rooney. It’s great for him to have someone like that around him.”