“He’s so honest” – Erik ten Hag explains Luke Shaw turnaround at Manchester United

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has heaped praise on Luke Shaw’s contributions to his squad all season.

With Manchester United still flying high in all four competitions this season, and on a nine-game win streak across those competitions, the squad’s ability to step up to the high demands placed on them in a post-World Cup season has been paramount to their successes.

Second-string players such as Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Fred, and Tyrell Malacia have all drawn huge amounts of praise for their recent form, and alongside them Luke Shaw’s ability to transform himself from a regular starter at left-back to a vital centre-back in the side has become a frequent talking point of late.

Shaw’s recent performances have seen him concede just two goals in the four matches he has played at centre-back, and Erik ten Hag has signalled out the qualities that make Shaw such a vital part of his Manchester United squad.

“He’s an example of how to win big games.” Said the Dutchman. “I’m really happy with his development. I think it’s been huge either at centre-half or left full-back, he’s a great player and a great personality for the dressing room.

“You can see when he [Shaw] has the right approach he’s a top player. I don’t mean only as a team player, he’s a leader. He’s shown a lot of leadership capacities, he’s the example at the moment. With his skills and with his physical power he brings a lot to the team.”

It’s clear that both manager and fan hold Shaw in high regard, with the Englishman racking up the 7th most Premier League minutes of any player in the squad as of the time of writing.

But, despite his recent run of form in a new position, it will likely have still come as a shock to many that Shaw was favoured over summer signing Lisandro Martinez ahead of last weekend’s Manchester Derby victory over Manchester City.

Explaining his decision to start Shaw over the World Cup-winning Martinez, Ten Hag said the following:

“When you analyse the profile of Haaland and the combination with De Bruyne it was the right decision – Luke has the physical power to compete with them and tactical view to make the right decision and technical skills to play there.”

Even though Shaw has now firmly cemented his place as a starter for each United game, his early-season form saw the defender dropped for 3 of the club’s first 5 league games.

Despite this, Shaw’s attitude from the start of the season also drew the praise of Ten Hag. with the Dutchman praising his desire to continue to improve.

“I like that he’s so honest.” Claimed Ten Hag. “After the second game [of the season] he didn’t play and said: ‘I fully understand, my performance is not right’. But from first day in pre-season he was working really hard.”

Manchester United will face Crystal Palace tonight, as the Red Devils continue their Premier League campaign.