LUKE SHAW’S (£3.6m) form tends to coincide closely with Manchester United’s as a collective.
In 2020/21, he was voted the club’s Players’ Player of the Year and was selected in the Premier League Team of the Year as the Red Devils finished runners-up behind Manchester City under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The left-back carried that form into Euro 2020 (delayed because of Covid-19) where he was one of England’s best performers – he even scored in the final.
After the penalty shootout defeat to Italy at Wembley, Shaw was one of a number of Three Lions’ stars who suffered a hangover of sorts once the new domestic season got underway.
His form dropped dramatically and Man United’s results fell off a cliff as Solskjaer was replaced by Ralf Rangnick in a fractured, disjointed campaign.
There were several other contributing factors to the decline, of course, but it does seem that Shaw’s personal fortunes have often reflected his club’s in recent times.
And this relationship should encourage the Old Trafford faithful presently as the 27-year-old has gained considerable momentum in recent weeks.
While he did not light up the World Cup in the same manner as the Euros, he performed well and registered an assist in Qatar.
Since returning to club duty, he has contributed to four consecutive clean sheets – a run that has resulted in 39 Dream Team points.
In fact, Shaw is currently the highest scorer of Game Week 16 having racked up 26 points at the expense of Wolves and Bournemouth.
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Against Bruno Lage’s side he played at centre-back alongside Raphael Varane (£4.2m) and held firm to help his side to a 1-0 win on the road, highlighting his adaptability and defensive merits.
And then at home to the Cherries, he reverted to left-back and exhibited his prowess in attack by scoring a fluid goal and playing a superb pass in the build-up to the hosts’ third and final goal.
When all was said and done on Tuesday night, Shaw claimed the Star Man award to bank 18 points, his biggest single-game haul of the season by a considerable margin.
With Lisandro Martinez (£3.8m) set to return to the starting line-up, Shaw is unlikely to be required at centre-back for the foreseeable future but he’s cemented himself as first-choice left-back ahead of Tyrell Malacia (£3.4m).
This prosperous spell post-World Cup has propelled the former Southampton defender up the rankings, he’s now the seventh-best asset in his position with 82 points overall, one behind Diogo Dalot (£3.5m).
Granted, January ends with some testing fixtures for Erik ten Hag’s side in the form of Man City and Arsenal but Shaw looks a good option in the long run regardless.
And if it’s true that his individual form dictates his club’s progress then supporters will hope to see more performances like those exhibited this Game Week.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
