Manchester United star benefiting from new signing “breathing down his neck”, says ex-Red Devil

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Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw will be benefitting from the fact that Alex Telles is now at the club and breathing down his neck, according to former Red Devils midfielder Luke Chadwick.

The England international has often struggled for consistency during his time at Old Trafford, but he’s shown some big improvement in recent games with his contributions going forward in particular.

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Chadwick has been impressed by Shaw managing to raise his game, and suggested it could be due to the fact that Telles is now also in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s squad as a credible option in that area of the pitch.

The Brazilian impressed at Porto before his move to Man Utd this summer, though he recently tested positive for COVID-19 so has been unable to play much so far.

But just knowing Telles is there could be the reason for Shaw being able to lift his standards, according to Chadwick.

“Shaw’s obviously made a really good impact, setting up some goals,” Chadwick told CaughtOffside. “Competition is always a good thing. I think Telles played the one game against Paris and looked the part in a wing-back position, giving the manager the option to change his system a bit.

“But I think it’s brilliant for Shaw to have Telles breathing down his neck – the competition there should push both players to higher standards, and whoever gets into the team will want to hold onto their place.

“It’s up to Shaw to keep hold of the shirt, but if he keeps setting up goals it’s his to lose. It’s great to see him come back because he’s been criticised a lot throughout his time at United but he now seems to be playing with a little more consistency.”

Shaw joined United as a hugely promising youngster from Southampton and took some time to get going, but there are perhaps now signs that he’s closer to fulfilling his true potential.

More Stories Alex Telles Luke Chadwick Luke Shaw Ole Gunnar Solskjaer