Luke Shaw was talked up before Manchester United’s game with West Ham by opponent Aaron Cresswell, who told The Mirror he felt the Red Devils star is the best left-back in the country.
Shaw’s form has been so strong that this has been a widely held opinion of late, and his performance against Cresswell’s Hammers backed it up.
The 25-year-old defender played a key role at both ends of the pitch, offering a key outlet in attack, and keeping it tight at the back.
Shaw was up and down the left flank all night in the 1-0 win against West Ham, and one point in the second half he was hovering around the six-yard box looking to grab another goal.
On a couple of occasions he had to bail his centre-backs out too, but it wasn’t the toughest night he has had from a defensive standpoint, with West Ham lacking ambition and quality in attack.
Shaw created two goalscoring chances, a figure only bettered by Bruno Fernandes.
In total he managed 102 touches, with only Aaron Wan-Bissaka (110) managing more.
Shaw completed 92 per cent of his passes, while defensively he made more tackles than other United defender with three.
He also made one interception and blocked one shot, and completed one successful dribble to beat an opponent.
There is an all round quality to Shaw’s game and the statistics back this up.
United are able to manage him well too, with Alex Telles coming in for recent midweek games.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has a big call this week for the Europa League second leg against AC Milan.
Reaction
Shaw’s performance drew more praise from supporters, who love the quality and consistency of his play. Here’s a look…
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