Could Ten Hag recall one of United's England stars to the side for Sunday's huge clash with arch-rivals Manchester City?
(Image credit: Matthew Peters/Manchester United via Getty Images)
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has lauded Luke Shaw's recent England performances, prompting talk that the left-back could be recalled for Sunday's Manchester derby.
Shaw featured in both Nations League games during the international break, coming off the bench in the 1-0 loss to Italy then starting at left wing-back in the 3-3 draw with Germany – in which scored the goal which sparked England's comeback from 2-0 down.
And the 27-year-old's impressive displays for the Three Lions didn't go unnoticed by his club boss.
Shaw looked back to his best as England drew with Germany at Wembley in their final game before the World Cup (Image credit: Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images)
Speaking to United's official website in the build-up to Sunday's encounter with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, Ten Hag said:
"Ah, he didn't play just well; he played really well...All the players did well for their nations and Diogo [Dalot] scored twice [for Portugal]; Bruno [Fernandes] played well twice [for Portugal]; Casemiro and Fred played well and did their jobs [for Brazil].
"Luke Shaw played really [strongly] against Germany and we saw a lot; we are happy with the performances from our players."
Shaw was voted United's Players' Player of the Year in 2018/19 and 2020/21 (Image credit: Catherin Ivill/Getty Images)
After struggling in United's first two matches of the season – the defeats to Brighton and Brentford – Shaw lost his place to summer signing Tyrell Malacia for the 2-1 win over Liverpool.
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That result kickstarted United's campaign and, understandably, Ten Hag has kept faith with Dutch compatriot Malacia ever since. Shaw might just be knocking on the door, though...
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Tom Hancock started freelancing for FourFourTwo in April 2019 and has also written for the Premier League and Opta Analyst, among others. He supports Wycombe Wanderers and has a soft spot for Wealdstone. A self-confessed statto, he has been known to watch football with a spreadsheet (or several) open...
