Erik ten Hag claims Luke Shaw is 'the best left-back in the world' – but there's one thing that will always hold him back
Manchester United and England defender Luke Shaw is the “best left-back in the world”, according to Erik ten Hag.
The Dutch manager made this bold claim ahead of Saturday's FA Cup final against Manchester City, which is LIVE on talkSPORTand a game Shaw will likely miss after another injury-plagued season.
Shaw has been out since February with a muscle problem, having made just 15 appearances in all competitions for the Red Devils this season.
It has been a common theme during the defender's ten years at Old Trafford, having missed a staggering 264 games with various injury problems since his £30 million transfer (a world record fee for a teenager at the time) from Southampton.
That's slightly less than the number of games he played in a decade as a United player: 275.
Shaw's injury problems have been a great shame, given the clear appreciation he has from his coaches.
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Gareth Southgate has included the 28-year-old in his provisional squad for Euro 2024 Despite missing most of the season, he explained that the Three Lions staff are giving him more time to get back to full fitness in time for this summer's tournament, as he is by far the best option as left back.
Ten Hag agrees, but the Man United boss admits that Shaw is unlikely to play a full season again in his career due to the broken leg he suffered early in his career with the Red Devils; The player later admitted that he “almost lost” his leg due to complications.
speaking to Half Dutch Vi.NLTen Hag said: “Luke Shaw He is the best left back in the world.
“This guy is so good. But he suffered a horrible injury early in his career and because of that he will never be able to play 60 games a season.”
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Ten Hag also bemoaned his luck this season, losing left back Tyrell Malacia to injury before the season began.
“Tyrell Malacia didn't play a single minute of football this season,” the coach added.
“In fact, he didn't even spend a single moment in training camp. We hired him as our backup to Luke Shaw.”
Ten Hag's praise will be a boost for Shaw, who is aiming to be fit for England's Euro campaign, especially following criticism from the former United boss. Jose Mourinho.
Mourinho publicly embarrassed Shaw more than once during his tenure at Old Trafford, but later admitted on talkSPORT that it was too harsh about the young defender, explaining that he did it to help him respond on the field and return to his best level.
“I always tried to find what I considered the player's weakness and sometimes I succeeded, sometimes I didn't,” Mourinho explained to talkSPORT in 2021, following Shaw's key role in England's run to the Euro 2020 final.
“Other times I can create empathy with the player and get the best out of him. Other times, the best way to get the best out of them is not to create empathy, but rather to try to create some friction and put pressure on the player.
“Maybe I was too hard on him and he wasn't ready for it.”
