A spate of illness in late December led to Erik ten Hag having to pick Luke Shaw as an emergency centre-back. The manager liked what he saw.
Ten Hag was impressed how quickly Shaw adapted to the position, and how well he worked with Tyrell Malacia, covering at left-back while allowing the Dutchman to push forward.
Shaw was selected in this role in the Manchester derby no less, preferred to Lisandro Martinez, Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelof.
After keeping Erling Haaland quiet in a 2-1 win, Shaw has proven that his strong displays at the position were no fluke, he is the real deal. His teammates are impressed too.
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Fernandes hails Luke Shaw
While the match saw United’s home defensive clean sheet record broken, the back four handled City well, and even late on, Pep Guardiola’s side struggled to create clear cut chances.
Shaw’s contribution caught the attention of both Casemiro and Bruno Fernandes, with the latter hailing him as like a new signing.
Fernandes wrote on Instagram in reply to Shaw: “What a centre-back we have signed in this transfer window.”
Erik ten Hag’s call to select Shaw was a huge talking point before the game, but there was also a sense of calm among supporters, because the Dutch manager has shown he should be trusted with his selection calls.
United are on a winning streak, sitting third in the table, and have now closed the gap on City to just one point.
There is no guarantee Shaw will keep his place at centre-back, United have too many options, and only two at left-back, but it is good for the manager to have extra flexibility. With so many games upcoming between now and the end of the season, every player will be needed to play his part.
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