Manchester United have been handed a boost going into their post-international break run of fixtures with the news Luke Shaw is back in training. The left-back has only featured in two of a possible 12 Premier League matches this season due to a “muscle issue” and has been sorely missed by manager Erik ten Hag.
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Over his nine years with the club, Shaw has developed from a promising, if inconsistent, young full-back into a mature (albeit somewhat injury-prone) and irreplaceable name on the team sheet.
Shaw’s most recent absence has been one of many blows to Ten Hag’s plans to turn United into “the best transition team in the world” this season. It was not simply that the United manager was without his best left-back but on top of that, his number two option there — Tyrell Malacia — has been sidelined due to a knee problem, while deadline-day emergency loan addition Sergio Reguilon has also struggled for fitness.
Diogo Dalot, Victor Lindelof and Sofyan Amrabat have all tried moonlighting on the left, but that trio of square pegs have found it difficult to fit into the rounded hole United have in that position.
Shaw is a better one-v-one defender than Dalot, Malacia and Reguilon. He’s better in the air than Lindelof. He’s faster than Amrabat and able to make tackles out wide without giving away cheap fouls. But it is not merely his defensive prowess that makes the 28-year-old one of the best Premier League left-backs (if not one of the best in Europe). He is valued in particular because of his ability to progress the ball from one penalty area to another.
Take a look at the map below showing where Shaw’s passes ended last season. His ability to get the ball into the area just in front of the opposition’s penalty area on the left was remarkable. Ten Hag went to great lengths to bring in Christian Eriksen, Casemiro and Antony in a bid to improve United’s ball progression last season, but Shaw remained one of the best in the squad at getting the ball from Point A to Point B.
That he can do it with such regularity down their left side is also of benefit to United when playing against teams who defend deep; Shaw’s work out wide helps stretch defences, creating more space for the likes of Eriksen and Bruno Fernandes to play in.
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In the 2022-23 Premier League, no United player took more touches (84.0) or completed more forward passes (26.1) per game than Shaw. He also averaged 8.1 passes into the final third per game, behind only Eriksen and Casemiro (both 9.5) in that particular metric. Shaw’s importance to the United team can also be visualised with a look at his progressive passes to Marcus Rashford last season.
Only Fernandes (139) found the forward more often than Shaw in the Premier League.
Progressive Passes to Marcus Rashford
Shaw’s propensity to make overlapping runs from left-back was also a boon for the likes of Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and any other left-sided forward at United. Rather than run into double-team defensive schemes, attacking players either had the option of passing ahead to Shaw, or using his run as a distraction to take a defender away, making it easier to cut inside and access the half-spaces for shots on goal.
In addition to this, Shaw’s defensive ability means the forward in front of him can play higher, and so closer to the opponent’s goal, safe in the knowledge he’s being backed up by someone who can take care of things if the ball is lost.
Shaw is a player who makes both attacking and defensive transitions easier for United players around him. Speaking on Friday, Ten Hag was to the point when asked what his return would bring to the team. He said: “You can mention many things; physical, technical ability, it is clear. For a long time this season, we didn’t have a left full-back and we are very happy he is back. He will help us be more stable.”
The return of Shaw should also help the likes of Rasmus Hojlund, who featured in Friday’s training but is yet to be confirmed fit enough to feature away against Everton on Sunday. The Denmark international is still searching for his first Premier League goal (although he is the joint-leading scorer in this season’s Champions League) and could benefit from Shaw’s crossing and cutbacks into the penalty area.
Couple this with the recent attacking form of Scott McTominay, and Shaw’s presence gives what has been an underperforming attacking side a different means to create and score.
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That’s not to say he is the perfect left-back.
On his day, Shaw can be one of the better defenders in the league, but he is still prone to lapses in concentration that allow inconsistencies to creep into his game.
That said, he remains United’s best full-back and he has been sorely missed. Shaw’s return is, Ten Hag will hope, also the return of stability aboard a ship that has sailed through choppy waters far too often this season.
(Photo: Chloe Knott – Danehouse/Getty Images)
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