Luke Shaw has revealed the ‘difficult’ time he experienced under Jose Mourinho during the Portuguese manager’s time in charge of Manchester United has inspired his resurgence.
The English left-back joined United from Southampton in 2014 for £30million and was tipped to enjoy great success at Old Trafford.
But he took time to settle in at United, and was hampered a double leg fracture which kept him sidelined for a significant period of time.
Mourinho was then appointed, with Shaw spending two and a half years playing under the former Chelsea boss. But he endured a tough relationship with Mourinho, making just 34 appearances during his time in charge.
Mourinho routinely singled Shaw out for criticism when he was selected as the defender struggled for form and fitness.
“He was in front of me and I was making every decision for him. He has to change his football brain,” the former United boss said following a 1-1 draw with Everton in April 2017.
But since Mourinho was sacked by the Red Devils, Shaw has developed into arguably England’s best left-back, with pundits hailing the 25-year-old for his displays this season.
In 19 Premier League appearances this term, Shaw has not made a single error leading to a goal and kept Liverpool dangerman Mohamed Salah quiet in the goalless draw at Anfield.
Shaw's performances have made him the stand-out left-back in the Premier League this year, and it would be no surprise to see him named in Gareth Southgate's England squad for the March internationals.
And the United star has attributed his resurgence to surviving his time under Mourinho.
“It was very difficult because I think sometimes I wasn’t able to get my word across,” he told BBC Sport.
“A lot of people were behind me here [at Manchester United] so I knew I had that sort of backing. But I just needed to keep quiet and put my head down.
“A lot of people were saying a lot of negative stuff about me. I just look back at it as a learning curve and something that’s improved me as a person off the pitch, not just on the pitch.”
