Manchester United keen to open contract talks with Luke Shaw
By Tom Gott
Manchester United hope to reward left back Luke Shaw with a bumper new contract after watching him emerge one of the Premier League's best in his position.
Shaw has struggled since moving to Old Trafford back in 2014 and his future looked to be under threat following the £15m signing of Brazilian Alex Telles from Porto last summer, but Shaw immediately responded and has played so well that he has earned himself a recall to Gareth Southgate's England squad for the first time since November 2018.
As noted by The Mirror, that might not be Shaw's only reward as United hope to tie him down to fresh terms which will see his already sizeable wage increased to something more in line with the rest of the club's undisputed starters.
Just how much of a pay rise he could receive is unclear. Shaw's current wage has been estimated to sit between £120,000 and £190,000 per week, while top earner David de Gea takes home closer to £325,000 in weekly wages.
Shaw still has two years remaining on his current contract and United also have the option to extend that by a further year, so there is clearly no immediate rush to get these talks underway, but it is said that manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants to prove his loyalty to Shaw by offering him this new deal, and it's not hard to see why.
Shaw has managed 35 appearances in all competitions this season, 30 of which have come as a starter. Only once has he managed more than that - he chalked up 40 outings in 2018/19 - with injuries plaguing the first few years of his United tenure.
Not only does Shaw appear to have shaken off those fitness struggles, but he has now combined health with form and has proven himself to be one of the Premier League's elite left backs this season.
It's a comeback story with piqued Southgate's interest, and the England boss was keen to praise Shaw for just how strongly he has fought his way back from injury.
"I think, often, we talk about coaches and managers and the impact on players, but in the end you have to give players a lot of credit when they bounce back from disappointment and come back from difficult injuries," he said (via the Manchester Evening News).
"When they regain form, very often there's been a lot of soul-searching, hard work on the training pitch and adjustment and preparation in their lives. Luke and John [Stones], in particular, in this squad, deserve a lot of credit for that.
"In Luke's case, his defending has been on the front foot, I've liked it. He's not allowed wingers to settle, he's been aggressive in his defending, he's shown great ambition in his attacking play, getting forward a lot more than he has been and playing a part in creating a lot more chances.
"We know he's got the quality to do that. We're excited, he's earned his chance and he deserves to be in."