Man United’s £27m star is back to his old self and it can only mean good things for Mourinho

Luke Shaw’s early form suggests that he is back to his old self

Manchester United have had a stop-start beginning to this season. After enduring humbling defeats at the hands of Brighton and Tottenham, the latter one at home, the pressure was on the manager and the players to perform well against Burnley.

And Mourinho got what he desperately wanted on this occasion. United won their encounter 2-0 at Turf Moor. A first-half brace from Romelu Lukaku gave the Red Devils their second win of this campaign.

Sunday’s result lifted United up to 10th place in the table and the players now head into the first international break of the season. One United player, who will be on international duty over the next fortnight is Luke Shaw.

Shaw, 23, will be hoping to feature in the forthcoming friendlies against Spain and Switzerland on September 8 and September 11 respectively, after getting selected for the England team.

Although United have had a turbulent start to the new campaign, Shaw has grabbed his opportunity with both hands to establish himself as the club’s first-choice left-back.

After receiving a lot of criticism from Mourinho, the 23-year-old has looked determined to earn the manager’s trust this season. And now, he has succeeded in doing that by becoming the best player for United this season so far.

Since joining the club back in 2014 for a fee of £27m, Shaw has endured three frustrating years after a horrific double leg break injury in a Champions League group stage game against PSV Eindhoven.

It derailed his fine progress in the debut campaign under Louis van Gaal. Post that, weight and fitness issues prevailed, and also his attitude off the field was questionable at times, which resulted in stagnation.

However, the Englishman appears to have put those worrying days behind him by starting the 2018/19 campaign in an excellent manner, delivering highly energetic, attacking and purposeful performances when his team have been anything but lively.

Read more: Why Man City over Man United would be the ideal destination for this £15m prodigy

Verdict

After spending several seasons in the wilderness at Old Trafford, Shaw is back to his sublime best, playing with swagger and confidence in his position. Mourinho might not have got exactly what he wanted in the summer transfer window, but the 23-year-old looks like a new signing for him and the Red Devils.