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Manchester United have been forced to ride through a defensive storm in recent weeks following injuries to Erik ten Hag’s preferred defensive pairing.
Both Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez got injured against Sevilla and that resulted in elimination from the European competition and the Dutch boss must have been cursing his luck for the timing of both injuries.
Club captain Harry Maguire was brought in to stop the rot but he failed miserably and since then, Victor Lindelof and Luke Shaw have formed a stable partnership.
Shaw has excelled as LB & CB
The England international has reveled in his left-back spot since Tyrell Malacia’s arrival and he has excelled at the heart of defence as well.
At times, he played as a deepest midfielder and used his passing to try and break the stubborn Aston Villa high-line.
Shaw had 100 touches of the ball and completed 84 passes and finished the game with a passing accuracy rate of 93%.
He ventured forward at times and tried to scoop balls over the defensive line and often time, they found their mark.
Luke Shaw’s game by numbers vs. Aston Villa:
100 touches
93% pass accuracy
84 passes completed
9/13 final third passes completed
6 ball recoveries
3/4 ground duels won
3 long balls completed
3 interceptionsFlawless at centre-back again. 🤩 pic.twitter.com/xBLDjXieL7
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) April 30, 2023
The 27-year-old completed nine out of 13 final-third passes while also successfully delivering three long balls.
Defensively he was as strong and his recovery pace was crucial as Villa tried to counter-attack. He was brave as well as he blocked an attempted over-head kick attempt by heading it out of danger and getting whacked in the process.
The former Southampton man made six ball recoveries while winning three out of four ground duels. He also made three crucial interceptions.
The perfect Martinez backup
Despite being thrust into a difficult role, Shaw has proved himself and Ten Hag has found the perfect backup option for when he needs to rest Lisandro Martinez in games.
Instead of trying to bring in a deputy for the Argentine during the transfer window, Ten Hag can safely give Shaw the responsibility while trying to improve where it counts — bringing in someone who can adequately replace Varane, considering his injury problems.
The Englishman has pace to burn and is strong in the challenge and is much more comfortable playing out from the back than his competitors for the left centre-back slot.
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