After much speculation about his Manchester United future, Luke Shaw finally made his first Premier League start of the season on Wednesday against Bournemouth.
The Englishman picked up an injury in April but even after recovering full fitness, his performances in training were seemingly not good enough to convince Jose Mourinho to restore him as United’s starting left-back, especially with Ashley Young’s stellar season at the position so far.
He’s apparently getting back into Mourinho’s good books, however, and he justified his starting place with a solid display in United’s 1-0 win.
Here’s an in-depth look at Shaw’s display against Bournemouth.
BASIC STATS
Goals – 0
Assists – 0
Shots – 0
Passing accuracy – 78%
Touches – 70
Tackles – 3
EFFECTIVENESS
It was a more conservative performance from the United left-back than usual.
Whether he was instructed to do so or whether he decided to prove that he’s as good defensively as he is in attack, Shaw more often than not kept his shape in United’s back four, and apart from one moment where he was beaten in the penalty area, he looked solid enough to impress Mourinho.
In attack, he was his usual self, offering width with his lightning-quick runs down the left, and could have had an assist more than once as he whipped in a couple of excellent crosses that were inches away from being converted.
Luke Shaw (C) vies with Bournemouth’s Junior Stanislas
KEY MOMENTS
40th min, CHANCE: Trademark Luke Shaw as he ran onto a clever pass from Juan Mata before delivering a threatening cross. It was inches over the head of Romelu Lukaku and ultimately fell to Antonio Valencia, whose goalbound shot then hit Lukaku in an offside position.
63rd min, CHANCE: Another nearly moment for Shaw, who sent in a brilliantly whipped early cross that was just ahead of Lukaku. Shaw deserved an assist for the quality of the cross alone.
VERDICT
It was a performance that should build confidence for Shaw, who reportedly has decided yet again that he’d like to stay at United and fight for his place.
Young deserves to be the starting left-back at the moment based on his performances, but if Shaw can build on this display, he’ll soon be pushing his veteran compatriot for that berth.
He was composed on the ball and showed good awareness in defence, and while he was a little more subdued than usual in attack, his contribution on that side could have led to a goal more than once. Overall, this was a display that should have begun restoring Mourinho’s faith in the youngster.
RATING: 7/10
