Luke Shaw may have scored the goal that kickstarted England’s comeback against Germany, but his all-round game left a lot to be desired.
The Manchester United fullback will likely escape the inquest facing teammate Harry Maguire after the United captain’s horror show.
But the scuffed shot that found its way past Marc-Andre Ter Stegen only papers over a shaky display from Shaw.
Defensively, the fullback lost 75% of his ground duels and failed to make a single successful tackle as the Three Lion’s defenders struggled to cope with the direct running of Jamal Musiala and Kai Havertz.
(Stats from Sofascore)
His work in possession was perhaps even more concerning.
One in every four of Shaw’s passes found its way to a German and combined with a success rate of just 20% for crosses and long balls completed, the United left back gave up possession a total of eighteen times.
Matches often hinge on key moments and Gareth Southgate will likely overlook Shaw’s overall performance in light of his important goal.
But it was not a performance that will have many Manchester United fans convinced that new signing Tyrell Malacia should be displaced.
The Dutchman has had a remarkable start to life at Old Trafford and has taken over at left back for the Red Devils this season.
That task was made easier by a poor start to the season by Luke Shaw, who played in the defeats to Brighton and Hove Albion and Brentford.
Unfortunately, the ‘Shawberto’ of the the 2020/2021 season is becoming a more of distant memory as time goes by, although there is hope that with genuine competition from Malacia at Old Trafford, he may yet recapture that form in future.
Between his goal and one outrageous pass to put Raheem Sterling through on goal, Shaw can take some confidence from the match as he looks to reclaim his starting spot on his return to United.
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