A year ago, then 19-year-old Luke Shaw had the world at his feet. He'd just enjoyed a terrific season with Southampton, which had earned him a place in England's FIFA World Cup squad and a £30 million transfer to Manchester United. It appeared the only way to go was up for the left back. How much of a difference one season can make.

Shaw's struggles

While he didn't play poorly last season, Shaw did not have the impact anyone thought he would. He made only 16 appearances in the Barclays Premier League while picking up a number of serious injuries which kept him out of contention for much of the season.

Subsequently, those injuries ruled him out of contention for the majority of matches England played last season. Additionally, he was left off of Gareth Southgate's squad for the U-21 European Championships.

Louis Van Gaal trusts the player

Some have begun to question whether or not Shaw has the ability to come good at United. There's a strong argument to be made that there is no base for such an attack on the player. He was injury riddled last season, and is only 20 years old, seven or eight years away from what should be his peak playing ability.

Shaw found a purple patch at the end of last season, and was praised by captain Wayne Rooney for his performance against Chelsea in April. He has continued on from there with several impressive performances while on tour in the United States this summer. His manager has been taking note, and appears quite pleased by his play.

In his prematch press conference before United's tour match against Paris Saint-Germain in Chicago on Wednesday, United manager Louis Van Gaal spoke about the left back, and declared that this next season could be "the season of Luke Shaw".

Van Gaal went on to state that "Luke Shaw is a big talent", but "he's very young so it’s not so easy for him to come from Southampton to as big a club as Manchester United." 

Although he acknowledged the age factor, the manager went on to state that he fully believes in the player, saying: “I think that it shall be the season of Luke Shaw, that I believe. I believe in him and he has to feel that and I hope he shall show it."

United's next tour match is against Paris Saint-Germain at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois at 2:00 AM BST on Thursday morning.

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About the author
Liam McMahon
American sports journalist based out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin who has been affiliated with VAVEL for more than a year. Co-editor of the soccer section at VAVEL USA and international football writer at VAVEL UK.