Luke Shaw has mastered the art of defending. Now he needs to work on going forward for Manchester United
By Ali Akbar
Luke Shaw has been flawless defensively for Manchester United, but he needs to work on going forward more often, says Ali Akbar.
As Manchester United were gearing up to face Liverpool at Old Trafford in the Premier League, I wanted nothing less than all three points.
However, three first-half injuries meant that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had to throw out his gameplan and focus on defending against Liverpool in the second half.
PLAYER RATINGS. Mixed scores for Manchester United after difficult afternoon against Liverpool at Old Trafford. light
In the end, United managed to earn a well-deserved 0-0 draw after a truly inspired defensive performance by a significantly weakened side.
Much of the praise after the game was directed at none other than Luke Shaw, who earned himself a Man of the Match award in my player ratings.
The left-back put in a tremendous shift against Liverpool, ensuring that his side left Old Trafford with a clean sheet against one of the best attacking sides in the league.
Most impressive was how the 23-year-old managed to keep Mohamed Salah in his back pocket all game. The Egyptian forward was so ineffective that Jurgen Klopp was forced to substitute him – a testament to Shaw’s man-marking capabilities.
However, the England international rarely ventured past the halfway line during the 90 minutes, and when he did, he never attempted to put a decent ball into the box.
This is a shame as Shaw has practically perfected the defensive side of his game since returning to the starting XI following his troubled spell under Jose Mourinho.
Now it’s time for him to work on the attacking side of his game – providing overlapping runs and putting in crosses for his teammates.
If Shaw works on perfecting these areas, he could easily become the best left-back in the Premier League, and indeed, one of the very best in the world.
3 things learned as Manchester United battle for deserving point against Liverpool. dark. Next
Do you agree that Luke Shaw needs to work on the attacking side of his game? Or do we need to focus more on attacking from the right-hand side? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!