Man Utd's improbable ironman: How ‘perma-crock’ Shaw has become Carrick's most reliable asset

Suraj Radia

• 27 Mar 2026 06:34 GMT
• 6 min read

Analysis

Manchester United have enjoyed a stunning turnaround in fortunes under Michael Carrick but no player emphasises their comeback story more than Luke Shaw, who has revived his career to become an unexpected ironman in the team.

United have won seven of their ten matches under Carrick since his arrival in January, having only recorded eight victories in the 21 games previously under Ruben Amorim – a rise which has seen the Red Devils make a push to qualify for the Champions League next season.

Current ETV

Luke Shaw

D (CL)

Man Utd

Luke Shaw

D (CL)

Man Utd

€13.1M

ETV Range

€11.8M - €14.4M

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While captain Bruno Fernandes and goalkeeper Senne Lammens have been ever-present under Carrick since his appointment, no player has featured in more minutes for United this season than Shaw, marking a fairytale reversal in the defender’s career trajectory.

Shaw has been at Old Trafford since 2014 but he had only breached 25 league appearances in three seasons prior to this campaign and he played just 349 minutes last year.

Yet the 30-year-old has been the only United player to start every league match and he is on course to play the most minutes of any season in his career while also doubling his gametime from the last two campaigns combined.

For a player whom many had written off as a perma-crock and felt his career was fizzling away, Shaw’s dramatic return to fitness and reliability should be applauded as he discovers a new lease on life with United.

Luke Shaw’s pathway to redemption after rollercoaster Man Utd career

It is perhaps easy to forget that Shaw became the most expensive teenager in history when he joined United aged 19 for €37.5 million and yet the deal was still considered a coup given his potential and the interest in him.

Shaw was named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year in his final season for boyhood club Southampton, having also been the youngest member in England’s 2014 World Cup squad that summer.

Indeed, the world was at the youngster’s feet even with a slow debut campaign with United but Shaw’s momentum truly came to a grinding halt after he suffered a double leg fracture in September 2015, leading to a six-month spell on the sidelines.

The injury took a tremendous toll on Shaw’s body, with the England star admitting he almost lost his leg due to the surgery, and he struggled to reach his peak fitness for a number of years, making just 43 league appearances in his first four years with United.

To add insult to injury (quite literally), Shaw dealt with public comments over his recovery from then-manager Jose Mourinho, who repeatedly questioned the defender’s professionalism and mentality.

It was only after Mourinho’s departure in 2018 that United fans got to see the Luke Shaw they had been promised and the player went on to win the club’s player of the year award in 2019 and being named in the Premier League TOTY again in 2021.

However, Shaw’s career was still being plagued by injuries and he still missed an average of 11 games per year between 2018 and 2023, while also seeing a natural decline in his athleticism after constant setbacks.

And so, going into this season, after just 19 appearances total in the last two campaigns it was expected that Shaw would again be a forgotten and overpaid star that summed up the mismanagement under Amorim and the Glazers.

Yet Shaw’s availability has eclipsed that of even Fernandes; the club’s proven ironman who has never missed more than three league matches in a season for United.

It may be an outlier campaign for Shaw and there is always the fear of fitness problems returning for the long-serving stalwart but his consistent presence has been a major part of United’s resurgence, all while overcoming huge turmoil throughout his career.

What does the future hold for Luke Shaw at Man Utd?

Shaw is entering the final year of his contract with United and, as one of the club’s higher earners, there will be doubts over offering a player in his 30s a new, long-term extension, even with his recovery and status as a key figure.

United are already outlining plans to sign a left-back this summer, with the likes of Myles Lewis-Skelly, Lewis Hall and Nathaniel Brown being considered as targets who can provide competition and emerge as Shaw’s replacement.

Perhaps leading United to a return to the Champions League before passing the mantle to a younger successor is the perfect way for Shaw to round off an illustrious career with the club.

But, with Shaw also likely having hopes of still returning to the England set-up, any new signing will know they have a hungry and fit left-back to compete with who has already proven he will never go down without a fight.

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