Former Arsenal defender Martin Known has revealed that he told a club scout to sign Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw when he was playing for Southampton as a 16-year old.
Shaw recently earned a recall to the England squad after an impressive start to the season and scored on the first day of the season in United’s 2-1 win over Leicester City.
It had been suggested that Shaw would seek a new challenge this summer after a disappointing few years with United. He arrived at the club as an 18-year old after a £27m transfer from Southampton.
But it seems the left-back could be set for an extended spell in Mourinho’s side and Keown has revealed that he was desperate for Arsenal to secure his signature when he was coming through the Saints academy.
“I first watched him as a 16-year-old playing on a training pitch for Southampton against Reading,” Keown wrote in his column for the Daily Mail.
“In the first 10 seconds, he whipped a ball across the box with such power and precision that I just thought, ‘Wow.’
“I was standing next to an Arsenal scout and I immediately said, ‘You’ve got to sign him.’
“Rarely had I seen a 16-year-old play with such certainty. In recent years he lost that from his game but it is coming back. This summer Jose Mourinho has given him his support and as a result Shaw has flourished.
“If Shaw keeps getting down that wing and keeps making things happen, then there is no reason why he could be England’s equivalent of Benjamin Mendy for Manchester City.”
England’s future left-back?
Shaw’s recall to the England squad has seen his United teammate Ashley Young omitted from the squad, despite him playing a key role for England in the World Cup.
But Keown is adamant that Southgate has made the right decision by including him in his latest squad.
He added: “100 per cent. I actually would have taken him to the World Cup in Russia. There was enough time at the end of the season for Gareth Southgate to work with him, get him fit and help rebuild his confidence.
“We took him to the 2014 World Cup with a view to developing him into England’s first-choice left back for 2018 but that did not materialise.”
Next up for Man Utd and Shaw is an away trip to Burnley on Sunday with the club looking to bounce back from their 3-0 capitulation to Tottenham on Monday night.
The post Martin Keown tried to get Arsenal to sign Luke Shaw appeared first on Squawka News.
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