He is not my child until DNA result comes out – Manchester United defender LUKE SHAW denies new born baby

Within a span of 11 months, two occurrences in Luke Shaw’s personal and professional life significantly altered his career, at least according to his own perspective and that of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Initially, in November 2019, Shaw experienced the joy of becoming a parent for the first time. In October 2020, Manchester United invested £15.4m to acquire Alex Telles from Porto and relocate him to Manchester.

It is evident that each of these events may have had a detrimental impact on Shaw’s career. During the conversation with former Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson, he extensively discussed the challenges that professional sportspeople face while becoming new parents. The presence of a newborn in the household can significantly impact the quality of sleep, which is closely associated with one’s performance. You are reluctant to allow it to affect your job performance, but you also do not want to be seen as an absentee parent and potentially harm your relationship with your partner and child. According to Solskjaer, Shaw’s transition into fatherhood has helped him mature into an adult.

Alex Telles was not guaranteed the position of being the primary choice at Old Trafford, however, he did not come with the intention of being a subordinate player. After being displaced by Brandon Williams for a certain spell in the 2019-20 season, Shaw likely perceived Telles as a potential rival. At Porto, Telles showcased his offensive abilities, which appeared to compliment Aaron Wan Bissaka’s defensive prowess. Once again, Shaw is convinced that the introduction of a pre-made substitute has inspired him to act. A career is revitalized from potential adversity.

At some point, Shaw’s career had declined. The severe leg fracture he sustained in September 2015 not only endangered the career of the adolescent who was the most expensive in world football at the time. Physicians subsequently informed him that he had narrowly avoided limb amputation due to the detection of blood clots, necessitating an additional urgent surgical procedure.

The injury and following prolonged rehabilitation cast doubt on Shaw’s future at Manchester United; his return to the team did little to alleviate concerns. Accusations of fitness concerns and well-documented weight issues were made against Shaw, however, Mourinho raised doubts about the fundamental aspects of Shaw’s game. Following a 1-1 draw against Everton in April 2017, Mourinho expressed to reporters that Shaw should develop, become more mature, and gain a deeper understanding of the game. The most notorious soundbite was that Manchester United’s £30m left defender was deficient in “footballing intelligence”. In 2018, Shaw declined a long-term transfer to Everton as Mourinho sought to transfer him elsewhere.

After a span of four years, Shaw has successfully revolutionized his professional trajectory. Although faced with setbacks and criticism, Shaw has emerged as Manchester United’s most reliable and outstanding player this season, surpassing even Bruno Fernandes. One advantage of achieving success at a young age is that it offers opportunities. Shaw, who is currently 25 years old, has already pursued and achieved success in two distinct professional paths.

There is no doubt that the level of fitness has improved. In January, Solskjaer emphasized that Shaw’s distance covered and high-intensity sprinting numbers are consistently improving on a weekly basis. The player himself maintains that the weight criticisms were merely a consequence of having a physique that deviates from the slender and athletic standard of top-tier players, but his appearance is noticeably distinct.

Number of opportunities created by Luke Shaw

The enhanced endurance and velocity serve as the basis for any full-back to launch an offensive, assured that they can employ rapid recovery sprints to return to a defensive position when necessary. Shaw is undeniably providing a greater amount of offensive contributions than ever before. From the 2015-16 season to the 2019-20 season, he did not create a chance more frequently than once every 69 minutes in a Premier League season. However, this season he has been creating a chance per 36 minutes and has contributed 38% of his total career Premier League assists in the past eight months. If he creates four additional opportunities, he will have achieved twice the number of chances compared to any other season in the Premier League.

Analysis of Luke Shaw’s participation in open play shot sequences

The open-play player sequence data captures an individual’s participation in moves that culminate in a shot. Shaw ranks fifth of all Premier League full-backs behind Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andrew Robertson, Leeds’ quasi-full-back-midfielder Stuart Dallas and Manchester City’s Joao Cancelo. Indicated by the graphic below, it can be inferred that Shaw is currently playing at more advanced positions on the field compared to past seasons.

Luke Shaw’s Premier League touches

In terms of shot-creating activities per 90 minutes, Shaw is behind just Bruno at Manchester United. He is currently achieving a higher number of successful dribbles than ever before in his professional career, and he has also been assigned the responsibility of taking corners for his club. Shaw ranks among the top four players in the Premier League this season in terms of delivering long corners into the area. Manchester United ranks among the top three clubs in terms of shot actions generated from dead-ball situations, which includes free-kicks, throw-ins, and corners.

Shaw’s progress as an offensive option is not solely evidence of his personal development, but also of his growing relationship