Luke Shaw

Luke Shaw

Shaw playing for Southampton in 2013
Personal information
Full name	Luke Paul Hoare Shaw[1]
Date of birth	(1995-07-12) 12 July 1995[2]
Place of birth	Kingston upon Thames, England
Height	1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Playing position	Defender
Club information
Current club	Southampton
Number	23
Youth career
2003–2012	Southampton
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
2012–	Southampton	46	(0)
National team‡
2011	England U16	6	(1)
2011–2012	England U17	8	(0)
2013–	England U21	3	(0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 21:46, 1 February 2014 (UTC). † Appearances (Goals). ‡ National team caps and goals correct as of 20:45, 14 November 2013 (UTC)

Luke Paul Hoare Shaw (born 12 July 1995) is an English footballer who plays as a defender for Southampton and the England national under-21 team. Originally a member of Southampton's youth system, Shaw made his first-team debut for the club in January 2012, and signed his first professional contract in May that year before becoming a regular in the Southampton team. He primarily plays as an attacking-minded left-back.

Early life

Shaw was born in Kingston upon Thames,^[3] and attended Rydens Enterprise School in Hersham, Surrey.^[4][5] He grew up as a Chelsea supporter, and has claimed that he originally wanted to play for the London club.^[6] As an eight-year-old Shaw played at Chelsea's development centre in Guildford, but was not offered an academy place.^[7]

Club career

Southampton

Luke Shaw joined the Southampton Academy at the age of eight, and became a regular in the under-18 team from the age of 15.^[2] His first association with the first team came in September 2011, when he was featured as an unused substitute in a League Cup game against Preston North End,^[2] assigned the squad number 34.^[8] During the January 2012 transfer window, it was reported that Premier League clubs Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester City had shown interest in signing 16-year-old Shaw, with the Championship club reportedly valuing the defender at £4 million.^[9] Southampton quickly responded to such claims though, with then-manager Nigel Adkins assuring the media that "Luke Shaw is a big part of our future plans", and claiming that the club had "no intention ... of letting any of [their] young players move on".^[10]

At the age of 16, Luke Shaw made his debut for the Southampton first team on 28 January in the FA Cup, replacing winger Jason Puncheon for the final 13 minutes of the third round tie against Millwall which finished 1–1.^[11] Following the club's promotion to the top flight in May 2012, Shaw was one of four youth players offered a professional contract for their return to the Premier League, along with Jack Stephens, Calum Chambers, and James Ward-Prowse.^[12]

2012–13 season

During the summer 2012 transfer window, more rumours began to surface regarding Shaw's future, with Chelsea and Arsenal said to have reinstated their interest in the full-back.^[13][14] The defender made his first start for the Southampton first team in August 2012, playing the full 90 minutes of a 4–1 win over Stevenage in the League Cup,^[2] and on 10 November he became the youngest Southampton player to start a game in the Premier League when he was chosen to play at left-back against Swansea City, completing 74 minutes of the 1–1 draw.^[15] Later in the month, he attempted to rubbish reports that he would be leaving the club, claiming that he was happy at Southampton.^[16]

More transfer rumours regarding Shaw surfaced in the January 2013 transfer window, with Arsenal emerging as the main candidates to sign the full-back and manager Arsène Wenger praising the teenager in the same light as previous signings Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.^[17][18] Chelsea also remained in the running, with Southampton reportedly rejecting a £10 million bid from the London club in January,^[3] and interest continued to increase throughout the season as Tottenham Hotspur later declared their interest, with the defender's value increasing to over £15 million.^[19] Shaw was quick to pledge his loyalty to the Saints though, committing his future to the club in response to such offers.^[20]

Shaw continued to make regular appearances throughout the season, and in manager Nigel Adkins's final game as Southampton manager on 16 January 2013 he set up the second goal in a 2–2 draw away to Chelsea, providing a cross from the left wing for Jason Puncheon to convert in the 75th minute.^[21] In an away game against Norwich City in March, Shaw was involved in a collision with striker Grant Holt which resulted in conceding a penalty in the first minute of injury time at the end of the game, although ultimately Artur Boruc saved the spot kick and the match ended goalless.^[22] He finished his first professional season with 28 appearances for Southampton, including 25 in the Premier League.^[2]

2013–14 season

Shaw playing for Southampton in 2013

Rumours of transfer approaches for Luke Shaw continued into the summer 2013 transfer window, with new Manchester United manager David Moyes reportedly entering the race for the defender's signature as backup for his planned signing of Leighton Baines.^[23] In July, however, it was revealed that Shaw would sign a long-term contract with Southampton once he had turned 18,^[24] and on 12 July, his 18th birthday, he indeed completed the signing of a five-year deal with the Hampshire club.^[25][26] Shaw scored one goal during Southampton's pre-season preparations, scoring the last in an 8–0 win over Spanish side Palamós on 20 July.^[27]

In the first game of the 2013–14 season, Shaw was directly involved in the goal that saw Southampton win against West Bromwich Albion when he was fouled in the penalty area by Youssouf Mulumbu in the 89th minute, with Rickie Lambert converting the resulting spot kick to see the Saints edge victory.^[28]

International career

Shaw's first experience of international football came in 2011, when he made six appearances for the England under-16 team.^[29] He made his debut against Slovenia in February, before competing in the Montaigu Tournament in April and scoring his first international goal against Uruguay at the tournament.^[29] He later made his debut for the under-17 team in August against Italy, and played in eight matches in a seven-month stint with the national side.^[29]

In January 2013 it was reported that Shaw was set to be called up for the first time to the England under-21 team for the following month's friendly against Sweden, with then-manager Stuart Pearce calling the Southampton defender "an outstanding talent".^[30] Unfortunately though, due to an injury picked up in training, he was later forced to pull out of the game.^[31] The uncapped defender was subsequently called up for games against Romania on 21 March,^[32] Austria on 25 March,^[32] and Scotland on 13 August,^[33] as well as the UEFA European Under-21 Championship,^[34] all of which he had to pull out of for the same reason.^[35][36][37] He eventually made his England under-21 debut on 5 September when the team faced Moldova in a 2015 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualification match,^[38] and he also played the full 90 minutes of England's second qualification game against Finland on 9 September.^[39]

Style of play

As a left-sided defender with a tendency to play attacking football, Luke Shaw has been compared to former Southampton youth product Gareth Bale, with particular focus being placed on his speed, decision-making, and defending skills.^[40][41] Retired footballer Trevor Brooking has also described the left-back as a "technically very gifted" player.^[42]

Career statistics

As of match played 1 February 2014.^[2][43][44]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Luke Shaw.

• Southampton F.C. profile
• ESPN profile
• Luke Shaw career stats at Soccerbase