Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku has hailed teammate Luke Shaw’s performances, labeling him the club’s best player so far this season.
Manchester United defender Luke Shaw has been hailed as the best player of the season by teammate Romelu Lukaku after the Englishman’s sensational display against Liverpool, as reported by the Daily Mail. The Belgian was full of praises for the left-back and the entire United defence, following the brilliant turnaround since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer took over the reins in December.
Under the Norwegian, the Red Devils haven’t lost a single domestic game and have accumulated 26 points from 10 Premier League matches. While the return of attacking football has seen Solskjaer earn praises from all corners, the defence too has seen a major upturn in form under former Manchester United striker.
Having conceded as many as 35 goals in 24 matches prior to Ole’s arrival, the 20-time English champions have conceded just 9 times in 14 matches since he was named the interim boss, keeping seven clean sheets in the process including against Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Liverpool.
And Lukaku, who has found himself warming the benches more often than not since Solskjaer’s arrival, hailed the manager’s impact, before he went on to claim that Shaw had been Manchester United’s best player this season. As quoted by the Daily Mail, the former Chelsea and Everton striker said:
“Everybody is talking about us being offensively really good, but defensively we’re doing really well. That’s what Ole wants. Chris Smalling coming in for the last couple of games has been brilliant and Luke Shaw has been the best player of the season for me.
“Ashley Young has been consistent and David de Gea is the best No 1 in the world. From the midfield to the front, we try to help out and make sure the defence has an easy task. We did that [against Liverpool] and it was all about the team.”
After a number of years of unfulfilled potential, Shaw is finally showing signs of coming of age for Manchester United. The former Southampton starlet has featured in 29 matches across all competitions, scoring and assisting one goal apiece, impressing with his defensive solidity.
The 23-year-old was particularly impressive in the 0-0 draw against Liverpool on Sunday, as he completely nullified the threat of the Reds’ leading goalscorer Mohamed Salah. Shaw has played an important role in the turnaround at United under the guidance of Solskjaer, along with the likes of Paul Pogba and Victor Lindelof, who have also been immense in recent matches.
Following the injury-hit affair against Liverpool this past weekend, Manchester United will next face Crystal Palace on Wednesday night as they will be looking to make their way back into the top four of the Premier League.
