Former Manchester United defender Wes Brown lauds Luke Shaw

Jun 29, 2023

Manchester [UK], June 29 : Former Manchester United defender Wes Brown heaped praise on the English left-back Luke Shaw after his successive impressive displays under Erik Ten Hag last season.
He went on to describe how Shaw's ability to adapt to the change in a defensive position has allowed him to flourish under the Dutch manager.
"We know him as an excellent left-back but he's been unbelievable [at centre-back]. As a full-back, you'd probably only play there a few times until the other defenders all come back [from injury]. But because Luke has played so well, he's been, pretty much, the next-choice centre-back. I'm not sure if he played there as a kid, but he just seems to read the game very well. He's good in the air, his positioning is good and getting better after a few games," Brown told to club's media.
He went on to describe that during such transitions a defensive midfielder often takes place rather than the left-back. He remembered the time when he used to call back defensive midfielder Michael Carrick to come back and help them in defensive duties.
"Normally it would be a midfielder who would fill in there [at centre-back]. I always remember Carras [Michael Carrick] would come back in the middle and he'd be excellent. Then a few times, he'd run forward and go into his midfield role and you'd be shouting: Carras, get back here," Brown added.
But he went on to define how Shaw plays this role differently in comparison to the time he used to play football.
"But Luke doesn't seem to do that. Obviously, he's got a defensive-like mindset and, ultimately, it's about positional play. You know he reads the ball so well, he's winning balls even before the striker gets a touch. So he's been absolutely excellent and that's why the gaffer has kept him in. It's as simple as that and he probably wasn't even thinking of doing that. But when you do that well, you know that's an option," Brown signed off.