Ferdinand hails Man Utd star for resurgence after being put on ‘scrap heap’


Rio Ferdinand has piled praise on Luke Shaw for recovering from being put on the “scrap heap” at Manchester United.

Shaw has been one of United’s most consistent performers this season, perhaps exceeding expectations.

When United signed Alex Telles in the summer, it appeared Shaw may not be first choice at left-back any more. Instead, he has responded by nailing down the role as his own.

A few factors have led to Telles not playing as much as he would have liked. But even when the Brazilian has been available, Shaw has generally remained first-choice.

The former Southampton star has earned widespread praise and a recall to the England national team may be on the cards for Euro 2020.  And at club level, he will be a contender for United’s player of the season.

At the weekend, Shaw was praised by manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for a goalscoring performance in the Manchester derby.

It has been some turnaround by Shaw, who did not enjoy much success under Solskjaer’s predecessor Jose Mourinho and even considered leaving at the time.

Now, former United defender Ferdinand has given his take on the 25-year-old’s improvement.

Ferdinand told Vibe with Five: “I think in seasons gone by, you could throw at him in terms of his application, he looked a little bit off the pace, a little bit lazy at times.

“We have to look at where he has come from by the way.

“This was a kid who was broken down mentally, it seemed. It looked like he was on the scrap heap at United.

“Jose Mourinho when he was there, absolutely discarded him. The kid was a broken man.

“He has come back from the depths to now being one of the most important players at Man Utd in the way that they’re playing. You have to commend him for that.”

Ferdinand compares Shaw to Evra

Shaw even earned a comparison to former United left-back Evra by the Frenchman’s former teammate Ferdinand.

Ferdinand said: “I think Luke Shaw is very similar.

“Between the boxes, Patrice was the best left-back of our generation. He could drive up the pitch on his own with the ball, I’ve not seen anything like it in between the boxes.

“But in their box, did he pick out people as much as Ashley Cole maybe, or Leighton Baines? No. And was he as good defensively as Ashley Cole? I’d say maybe not.

“By the way, in both boxes, aerially, he was brilliant. Patrice was a brilliant player. I see a little bit of that in Shaw – between the boxes, he’s unreal.”

READ MORE: Ferdinand names two areas Man Utd must strengthen with world-class signings





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