Luke Shaw showed his weakness in Manchester United’s win over Ipswich. But there’s one bizarre statistic to emerge. In Manchester United’s 5-2 victory over Ipswich ...
Luke Shaw showed his weakness in Manchester United’s win over Ipswich. But there’s one bizarre statistic to emerge.
In Manchester United’s 5-2 victory over Ipswich Town, Luke Shaw set a surprising statistic.
The left-back set a quicker top sprint speed than any Manchester United player on the pitch, 34.4 kilometres per hour.
Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images
Luke Shaw was at fault for Ipswich Town’s opener, when he was very noticeably outpaced by Abdul Fatawu on the touchline.
Fatawu beat Shaw from a standing start, with the Manchester United defender struggling to keep up with him and unable to stop him from delivering the cross for Leif Davis to score.
It was a moment that had the Manchester United fanbase collectively expressing frustration at the lack of an alternative left-back.
United do not even have cover for Shaw, let alone an upgrade.
Manchester United’s entire team improved in the second half, and Luke Shaw was a part of that.
Shaw defended more aggressively up against Fatawu and was determined not to allow the winger another opportunity to get behind him.
The left-back worked hard to get up and down the pitch during his 73 minutes, before he was replaced by Noussair Mazraoui.
Shaw managed 61 touches in total, making 11 passes into the final third. He linked up well with Marcus Rashford, and there is more to come from them as a pairing down the left.
We still expect United to add competition for Shaw, but he is not going to let his position go without a fight either.
He was terrible for Ipswich’s opener – but his top sprint speed shows that he does have the pace. He just needs to sharpen up.
