Manchester United’s new manager Louis Van Gaal made an early statement of intent by smashing the transfer record for the world’s most expensive teenager with the summer acquisition of Southampton protégé Luke Shaw. The deal, reported to be in excess of £30m, pairs the England left back with Spanish midfielder Ander Herrera (signed from Athletic Bilbao for over £28m) on the list of early summer arrivals at Old Trafford as Van Gaal prepares to revive the club’s fortunes after a disappointing 2013/14 campaign.
With Southampton’s promising squad dented by the departure of Shaw and other key players Adam Lallana and Ricky Lambert, as well as manager Mauricio Pochettino, the move appears a necessary step if Shaw is to fulfil his own potential.
Shaw leaps onto the Fantasy radar wearing the red jersey of perennial title contenders, United, under the tutelage of a highly experienced manager with a penchant for attacking football. Here’s the most expensive teenager in world football on the big move:
“I am thrilled and excited to be joining Manchester United. I have been at Southampton since I was eight years old and I would like to thank them and the fans for everything they have done for me. I want to continue to progress my career and joining United is the ideal place for me to do that… I am looking forward to learning from the world-class players and management at the club.”
THE HISTORY
Shaw joined Southampton as an academy prospect, having been turned away by Chelsea’s development centre at the tender age of eight. Unhindered, by 15 years of age Shaw was already heading for stardom and featured regularly in the Saints’ under-18 side, before making his first team debut in the January 2012 FA Cup draw with Millwall as a 16-year-old.
Later that year, the club’s promotion to the Premier League saw Shaw – despite failing to play a single minute of Championship football – handed his league debut by Nigel Adkins, making the-then 17-year-old the youngest player to start a top-flight game for the Saints. Shaw went on to accumulate 25 league appearances in his first professional season, with six clean sheets and an assist to boot.
The 2013/14 season saw Shaw announce to the world that he was ready for the limelight. With Mauricio Pochettino’s exciting young team drawing the plaudits for ambitious, attacking football, the defender emerged as one of the brightest talents in the Premier League, with his marauding style drawing comparisons with the Saints’ previous high-profile left back – Real Madrid star Gareth Bale. Thirty-five league appearances, 14 clean sheets and one assist earned Shaw a nomination for 2013/14 Young Player of the Year award and procured a spot in the PFA Team of the Season.
His displays were rewarded with a call-up to the England national team along with team-mates Lallana and Lambert. Shaw will now be able to reflect on an excellent sophomore season, cementing a spot in Roy Hodgson’s Brazil 2014 squad and, despite the failings of the national side, the left-back returns to Manchester with a World Cup start to his name and the experience of a showpiece event.
THE PROSPECTS
There are a number of uncertainties around the future of some of the biggest performers at the Theatre of Dreams. Rumours of a shift to the 3-4-3 formation deployed by Van Gaal in Brazil have become popular within the media but we should consider these claims in their proper context. Van Gaal had used a 4-3-3 going into the tournament and confessed to making the tactical switch to counter Spain.
“I played this system because I believe that we are not good enough to beat Spain with our normal 4-3-3 formationâ€
In fact, Van Gaal has been a dedicated 4-3-3 practitioner throughout his career, including successes with Barcelona and Bayern Munich and famously won the Champions League with a brave young Ajax side.
Regardless of formation, the first challenge for Shaw will be to oust veteran defender Patrice Evra from the role on the left flank. Certainly, his chances look good, with reports indicating the Frenchman is edging towards the exit door after requesting a move to Juventus, though Antonio Conte’s departure from the Italian club may put the transfer on hold until a new manager is installed.
The comparison tool in the Members area makes for very interesting reading when the two left-backs are put side by side. Although Evra outperformed Shaw with a goal and three assists to the youngster’s single assist in 2013/14, the latter registered an attempt on goal with greater frequency (131.1 minutes to 159.2) and whilst the pair’s key passes average falls in Evra’s favour (79.6 to 95.4 minutes), Shaw’s game is clearly in the ascendancy, given that he created a chance every 169.2 minutes in 2012/13.
Consequently, Shaw has been handed a tidy price hike across the Fantasy games. The Sky Sports Fantasy game has slapped the youngster with a 6.9 price tag, elevating him firmly into the premium bracket, whilst in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game, a price of 6.0 is higher than any of United’s backline option, despite this being Shaw’s first year at Old Trafford.
If reports of Van Gaal’s 3-4-3 hold true, though, and Shaw does indeed nail down a starting berth under Van Gaal, United’s new man could well provide some serious bang for buck, even with his new and prestigious tag. Given that the Red Devils have no European schedule as a result of David Moyes’ abysmal year at the helm, rest and rotation certainly seem unlikely, whilst an opening schedule which pits United against just one of last term’s top 10 (SWA, sun, bur, QPR, lei, WHM, EVE, wba) in the first eight Gameweeks is the most favourable around and is certain to prompt many to invest in Van Gaal’s side at both ends of the park.
