Luke Shaw

At 28 years old, Luke Shaw has this physical status:

Luke Paul Hoare Shaw (born 12 July 1995) is an English professional footballer who plays for Manchester United and the England national team as a left-back. Shaw made his first-team debut for Southampton in January 2012 and signed his first professional deal in May this year before becoming a regular in the Southampton team over the next two seasons.

Shaw was signed by Manchester United for £30 million in June 2014, then a world record transfer fee for a teenager. He made his senior international debut for the England team in a 1–0 friendly victory over Denmark on March 5, 2014, and later this year, he was selected in the squad for the FIFA World Cup.

Early life

Shaw was born in Kingston upon Thames, London, and raised in Molesey, Surrey. He attended Chandlers Field Primary School and Rydens Enterprise School, where he helped the Under-15 team reach the English Schools' FA Cup semi-finals. He began playing grassroots football with Hersham and Molese Juniors. Shaw grew up as a Chelsea fan and idolized fullback Ashley Cole. He worked at Chelsea's growth center in Guildford, but not everyone was given a scholarship. He has stated that he aspired to play for the club in the future.

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Club career

Shaw joined the Southampton Academy at the age of seven and became a regular in the under-18 squad from the age of 15. In September 2011, when he was an unavailable substitute in a League Cup match against Preston North End, he began his first appearance with the first team. During the January 2012 transfer window, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester City had all expressed interest in signing the 16-year-old Shaw, according to the club's then-Championship club, with the latter valuing the defender at £4 million. Southampton quickly responded to such allegations, with then-manager Nigel Adkins assuring the world that "Luke Shaw is a significant piece of our future plans" and that the club has "no intention... of allowing any of [their] young players to move forward."

Shaw made his FA Cup debut on January 28th, 2012, with winger Jason Puncheon being forced to leave the team's final 13 minutes against Millwall, who finished 1–1. Shaw was one of four youth players offered a professional deal for their return to the Premier League in May 2012, alongside Jack Stephens, Calum Chambers, and James Ward-Prowse.

In August 2012, the defender made his first appearance for Southampton's first team in August 2012, scoring the full 90 minutes of a 4–1 victory over Stevenage in the League Cup, and on October 10, 2012, he became the youngest Southampton player to start a match in the Premier League since being picked to play left-back against Swansea City, clocking 74 minutes.

Shaw continued to make regular appearances throughout the season, and in manager Nigel Adkins' last match as Southampton manager on January 16, 2013, he scored his second goal. Shaw was involved in a penalty foul that resulted in a penalty in the first minute of injury time at the end of the game, but Artur Boruc saved the match without scoring. Shaw played for Southampton in his first professional season, with 28 of them in the Premier League, including 25 in the Premier League.

Shaw's 18th birthday was on July 12, 2013 and he agreed to a new five-year deal with Southampton. During Southampton's pre-season preparations, Shaw scored one goal, scoring the last in an 8–0 victory over Spanish team Palamós on July 20th.

Shaw was instrumental in Southampton's victory over West Bromwich Albion after being fouled in the penalty area by Youssouf Mulumbu in the 89th minute, with Rickie Lambert converting the winning spot kick to see the Saints beat the Saints beat the Albion in their first match of the 2013-14 season.

Shaw was selected as one of the PFA Young Player of the Year nominees on the shortlist on April 18, 2014. In the 2013–14 PFA Team of the Year, he was also selected as left-back.

Shaw signed a four-year deal with Manchester United (with the option to extend for a further year) on June 27, 2014, making him the most expensive teenager in world football. Chelsea was also interested in Shaw, but Chelsea decided against it because the teenager's overbearing salary demands might cause friction in their team's dressing room.

Shaw made his debut in the club's pre-season tour of the United States by playing the first 45 minutes of a 7-0 victory over the LA Galaxy in the first match. He suffered from a hamstring injury that had barred him from playing for a month before the season. Shaw was named as a replacement for Manchester United in their fourth league match on September 14th, and he was unemployed as the team won their first game of the season against Queens Park Rangers. Shaw made his competitive debut for United on September 27, 2014, beating West Ham United in the entirety of the 2–1 home win. He was an unemployed replacement in the subsequent loss to Leicester City.

Shaw was ranked on the 40-Man shortlist for the 2014 Golden Boy Award, a distinction given to the player who is deemed the best European-based player under the age of 21. Shaw was suspended after receiving his second yellow card against West Ham on February 8th. Shaw returned to the starting line-up on April 18, 2015, after replacing the injured Daley Blind. Shaw's first match since March 9, 2015, ended in a 1–0 loss to league leaders Chelsea, but the captain praised him for his efforts.

Shaw played in every league match from the early 2015–16 season until September 15, 2015, when he was intercepted by Héctor Moreno with a sliding tackle and sustained a double leg fracture. During the nine-minute walk in Eindhoven, Shaw was given oxygen and cared for by nine medical staff before being arrested on a stretcher and taken to the hospital. Shaw was out of action for six months before returning to action on April 4, 2016.

Manchester United defeated Leicester City 2–1 on August 7, 2016, Shaw's first competitive appearance since suffering his double leg fracture in September 2015.

Manchester United defeated Leicester City 2–1. Shaw scored his first senior goal in the league opener against Leicester City on August 10th. Shaw received the season's first player of the month award in August and again in September. On October 18, 2018, he agreed to a new five-year deal with United. Shaw was named United's Player of the Month for March on April 2nd, beating three others in total during the season. Shaw was named Manchester United Player of the Year and Sir Matt Busby Player of the Year at the end of the year.

Shaw scored his first goal of the season on March 5, 2020, at 3–0 FA Cup victory over Derby County.

Shaw scored two assists before being banned at halftime in Manchester United's Premier League record-equalling 9-0 home win over Southampton on February 2, 2021. Shaw scored his first league goal since August 2018 in the derby victory over Manchester City on March 7th.

International career

Shaw's first exposure to international football came in 2011, when he made six appearances for the England Under-16 team. He made his international debut against Slovenia in February before advancing in the Montaigu Tournament in April and scoring his first international goal against Uruguay at the tournament. He made his under-17 debut against Italy in August and played in eight matches in a seven-month stint with the national team.

Shaw was expected to be called up for the first time to the England under-21 squad for the following month's friendly against Sweden, with then-manager Stuart Pearce describing the Southampton defender as "an excellent player." However, he was eventually compelled to cancel due to a strain in preparation. On March 25, 1983, the uncapped defender was called up for games against Romania, Scotland, and Scotland on August 13, as well as the UEFA European Under-21 Championship, which all of which he had to pull out for the same reason. He made his England under-21 debut on September 5th when the team met Moldova in a 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifier, and he also played the full 90 minutes of England's second qualifier against Finland on September 9th.

Shaw was called up to the England senior team for the first time on February 27 for their friendly against Denmark. He made his debut in the match, replacing Ashley Cole at halftime. England won the match 1–0. Shaw was selected in Roy Hodgson's 23-man squad for the 2014 FIFA World Cup on May 12, 2014. He was included in the cost of the new Cole, who resigned from international service as a result. He was England's second-choice left-back behind Leighton Baines and made his tournament debut in the last group match, a 0–0 draw with Costa Rica in Belo Horizonte. He also received the distinction of being the youngest player to play at the 2014 tournament.

Shaw was selected in the England squad for the UEFA Euro 2020. Shaw scored the fastest ever goal in a European Championship final against Italy on July 11, 2021, with just two minutes on the clock. However, his early goal was not enough to win England their first major title in 55 years, as Italy emerged victorious in a penalty shoot-out after a 1–1 draw in extra time.

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