After struggling with injury in his debut season for Man United, the stage seemed set for Luke Shaw to establish himself as a regular under Louis van Gaal last time around.
Limited to just 15 starts in 2014/15 after arriving from Southampton for around £30m, the left-back had finally proven his fitness in time for the start of the previous campaign.
Handed a spot in the Dutchman’s XI, Shaw’s raids down the left were a feature of the Red Devils’ first five league matches and earned him 27 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) points, courtesy of an assist, three clean sheets and four bonus points.
A broken leg sustained against PSV in mid-September brought an end to that early promise and sidelined Shaw for the rest of the season.
Having averaged 5.4 points per appearance, it was a case of “what could have been” for the former Saint, as United proceeded to rack up 18 clean sheets and concede just 35 times.
The Prospects
Encouragingly, Shaw – who is priced at 5.5 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) – has stepped up his injury recovery over the summer period and started all four of United’s pre-season friendlies.
A strong performance in last night’s draw with Everton had the local press purring and his return to fitness has been duly noted by FPL managers, with over 16% snapping up the full-back, making him the seventh most popular defender on the market.
Although this will be Shaw’s fifth year in the top-flight, the youngster has only managed one full season so far – his breakthrough campaign for Southampton in 2013/14.
The left-back managed just two assists across 35 appearances that term, with a total of 123 points not overly convincing.
Delving into the underlying data for that season shows just why United were keen to splash the cash the following summer.
Shaw’s forages forward to join in the Saints’ attacks saw him ranked third amongst defenders for touches in the final third, whilst only Seamus Coleman made more successful dribbles (64 to 56).
His delivery from out wide also caught the eye. Shaw sat second for both crosses and successful crosses from the back and was placed fifth when it came to key passes, with 33.
In terms of goal threat, the numbers are again very encouraging. Although he failed to score with any of his 24 attempts, Shaw’s total of ten shots on target was bettered by only three other defenders.
Should he steer clear of injury, then, there’s cause for optimism that Shaw could play a significant part in the Fantasy season ahead, offering real potential for points at both ends of the pitch.
Certainly, we can expect him to be handed greater license to forage forward under Mourinho as United move away from Van Gaal’s possession-based approach.
When assessing United’s defence, it would be remiss to ignore the form of Antonio Valencia – identically priced at 5.5, he provided three assists in the recent win over Galatasaray.
It’s no secret, though, that Mourinho was a big fan of Shaw and attempted to sign him for Chelsea prior to the defender’s Old Trafford switch. Arguably, that makes the left-back berth the more secure option, with Matteo Darmian pushing Valencia for minutes on the opposite flank.
