@Talk_Futbol on Luke Shaw

@Talk_Futbol on Luke Shaw

I'm Max, from @Talk_Futbol. I have been a Southampton fan all my life, probably because of my Dad who also supports them and he took me to my first game when I was 5. I will be talking about Manchester United target, Luke Shaw, who I have been following since he was 16. 

Luke Shaw grew up in London as a Chelsea supporter. As early as the age of 8 years-old, Luke was desperate to play for the Blues, and after spending a short-period of time at the Chelsea development center, they decided not to offer young Luke a place in their academy. Southampton were then quick to react, bringing Luke to the south coast where he would play his football. Luke came through the Under 18 squad with the likes of Alex Oxlade Chamberlain, James Ward-Prowse and many other talents. Shortly after his 17th birthday, he actually captained the Under 21 side. Only two weeks later he came on as a substitute against West Bromwich Albion, and as a 17 year-old, I was shocked with how calm he looked on the ball. The following week, Luke made his full-debut at home to Swansea, I was in attendance that day and again I was truly shocked at how confident he looked, running at the Swansea defence at every opportunity. Luke quickly warmed to the home crowd, who at this point were already chanting his name. Luke became stronger, and stronger as the season went on, and people could see he was something special. His first season as a 17 year old was incredible, helping Southampton secure their place in the Premier League for another season.  

The Southampton squad went out to Spain and Austria during pre-season after a successful first season in the top flight, and on Luke's 18th birthday, he accepted a five-year deal, keeping him at the club until 2018. At the beginning of the 2013/14 season, Luke came back physically unbelievable, standing just shy of 6ft 2inches and built like a 28 year old, Luke looked in great shape to start the season. I've watched Luke play every game this season, and every week he impresses. The 18 year-old has an incredible amount of speed, he can recover within seconds and usually eases his man off with strength, Luke Shaw looked like the next big thing. Roy Hodgson (The England manager) spotted his talent and before even making a handful of appearances for the England u21 side, he was promoted to the first team where he made an impressive debut against Denmark at Wembley. After Luke finished the season on a high, he's attracted some of the scouts from the biggest clubs in the world to watch him play. Because of these, unbelievable performances for Southampton, he has just in the last few days been called up to England's World Cup squad, which for anyone of his age, is truly remarkable. 

It's been said that in the last few days, Manchester United have launched a £27 million bid for Luke Shaw. I personally, even for £30 million, would be devastated to see him leave. Some would say he's not worth that, and he's 'over-hyped' because he's English. As someone who watches Luke week in, and week out, I can tell you that is not true. I've not seen anyone this good at our club, ever. I watched 18 year-old Gareth Bale, who happened to play left-back, but was playing in the Championship. As an 18 year-old, Luke is in a different league to what Bale was. Luke has strength, pace like you wouldn't believe and can find a perfect balance between attacking and defending. A lot of people talk about how good he is at going forward, but rarely talk about how solid he is at the back; he's a superb tackler. I think Luke would be a perfect buy for Manchester United (As much as I hate to admit it). A world class left-back sorted for the next 10 years as a minimum.