ItsBizNews’ look at players who
appear to have a big footballing future continues as we look at Southampton
left-back Luke Shaw. The 18-year old came through Southampton’s renowned
academy system and after many stages of development, made his England debut in
the latest International Friendly against Denmark at Wembley earlier this
month.
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Luke joined
the academy system at the age of eight after he was denied entry to the Chelsea
development centre. After the nurturing of his talent from academy coaches, he
was a regular in the Under-18 side by the age of 15 and was beginning to
attract attention from big-name clubs including Arsenal and Manchester City. A
year later, Southampton placed a price tag of £4m on him.
Shaw
possesses many attributes that has made him stand out over the last 12 months
as a potential suitor to Ashley Cole for the national left-back position when
he retires. The first of these is his pace; he is very much part of a
generation of marauding full-backs who are as effective going forward as they
are at the back.
Shaw also
has a very good footballing brain. His decision making when on the ball is
highly impressive for someone of such a young age. He runs with his head up,
always looking around to find the best option. When combining this with his
ability to cross the ball into dangerous areas time after time, the result is a
full-back who will undoubtedly gain numerous assists during his career. He has
been compared to fellow academy graduate Gareth Bale. As he looks to progress
his game, there is no reason why Shaw cannot follow in his footsteps.
It was
reported that he had attracted a £10m bid from Arsenal in January 2013 followed
by interest from Tottenham Hotspur. Shaw responded to this interest by
committing his future to the Saints.
Luke has
also come through the international ranks with praise heaped on him. Following
his first call-up for the Under-21 side, then manager Stuart Pearce called him “an
outstanding talent.” Furthermore, FA Director of Football Development Trevor
Brooking has also made his admiration for the young man public by saying he is “technically
very gifted.” Shaw is one of the new players Roy Hodgson has included in the
squad since he took the managerial post. He was highly impressive during the
senior side’s friendly with Denmark after coming on as a half time replacement
for Ashley Cole. One moment that particularly stood out was when he whipped in
a dangerous ball across the six yard box from a wide position after beating his
marker.
It will be
interesting to see if he becomes the target of further transfer bids and
whether or not he decides to move on from Southampton.
Many times in the past when a young player is snapped up by one of the bigger
clubs, their career is not allowed to progress at the rate they would’ve
wanted. If he is allowed to further himself at the rate he already has, Shaw
could become one of the best defenders for a generation.
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