Manchester United ace Ashley Young has made the surprise claim that he feels under-fire left-back Luke Shaw can become one of the best players in the world in his position.
The 22-year-old is struggling at Old Trafford again this season, barely getting any first-team opportunities from manager Jose Mourinho, who was critical of him again as he dragged him off at half time in the win over Brighton at the weekend.
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Young has defended his team-mate’s quality, however, though he did seem to echo the belief that he needs to work harder.
Young was picked ahead of Shaw for England in the latest round of international matches, and there will be serious doubts now as to whether the former Southampton starlet can make Gareth Southgate’s squad for this summer’s World Cup finals in Russia.
Long tipped for a big future in the game, there seems real danger of Shaw’s career stalling, though Young has surprisingly still tipped him to hit real heights if he can work hard enough to get there.
‘Obviously, he (Shaw) is a player that wants to do well, I want to see him doing well,’ Young told BBC 5 Live, as quoted in the Guardian.
‘It’s like all players, you just have to get your head down and work.”
‘He is a fantastic player. I feel he can be one of the best in the world. You’ve just got to work hard.
‘We’ve got a healthy competition in our squad and when you’ve got world-class players training day in, day out, everybody wants to be in that team. It is tough. I’ve always said, when you join a club like United it’s a tough place to play at.
‘But if you play and train and give 100%, then get your opportunity – I’ve always said you always get your opportunity there.’