Last summer, Tyrell Malacia, a direct rival of Luke Shaw for the left-back position, joined Manchester United. Shaw, contrary to what was expected, has been able to hold on to a spot despite the Dutchman’s arrival.
Luke Shaw believes competition helps him operate at a high level
Shaw told Manchester United TV that maintaining a high level required regular physical fitness. “Tyrell has performed extremely well, and I believe that the management will benefit much from having competition in several spots. Both of us are operating at a high level,” Shaw says.
Erik ten Hag thinks that Malacia and Shaw are likewise quite evenly matched based on the statistics. The two full backs have each played in seven Premier League games so far. Malacia was always the favoured team in the Europa League.
It would be interesting to see if this rotation role for the United man earns him a spot in the flight to Qatar. Especially, with the likes of Ben Chilwell, Tyrick Mitchell and Kieran Trippier providing suitable competition. However, it is obvious that Southgate is a fan of Shaw and Luke has seldom set foot wrong for the Three Lions.
“Ty is a pretty nice guy and a great, excellent athlete, and I’m sitting next to him in the locker room. We get along well, despite the fact that he is still quite young, and it is wonderful for both of us to get along with someone who is in your place. That is incredibly helpful because I know he feels the same way about me when he plays. I want him to give his all for the team,” Shaw added.
Shaw frequently encounters Antony, yet another newbie, in training. The England full-back laughs, “We have wonderful duels in training. And it’s incredibly beneficial to be able to practise against someone of his calibre. He keeps improving, and I thought he was the game’s Man of the Match against Newcastle.”
