Manchester United hope they've filled their starting left back role for a decade or more by bringing in £30 million wonderkid Luke Shaw, but he's not exactly hitting the ground running. He looked a bit off the pace in United's 7-0 thrashing of the LA Galaxy while playing an unfamiliar wingback role, and manager Louis van Gaal doesn't think his fitness is acceptable relative to the rest of the team at the moment.
Louis van Gaal criticizes Luke Shaw’s fitness
Not a good look, Luke Shaw.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
“Luke needs to be fit and he’s not very fit and can’t perform how I want,” said van Gaal. “He needs to be fit and to train individually. I can’t judge why. I see what I see. I have spoken with him and we have made a program with him.”
Shaw played under Mauricio Pochettino -- a coach who emphasizes fitness to suit his up-tempo style -- at Southampton, then played at the World Cup for England, so it's surprising that his fitness isn't up to the standard of the rest of this teammates.
The good news for United is that they have two more weeks to get ready for the new season, so there’s no reason to ring alarm bells yet, but this is still a disappointing development.
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