Jose Mourinho: Luke Shaw's self-belief crucial to new Manchester United deal

Standard Sport18 October 2018

Jose Mourinho says that Luke Shaw "fully deserves" his new long-term contract at Manchester United, admitting that he is "delighted" to have the defender tied down.

On Thursday, the club announced that Shaw had signed a new deal to keep him at Old Trafford until 2023, capping a remarkable turnaround that has seen the 23-year-old go from forgotten man to first-team regular.

Shaw was publicly criticised by Mourinho on several occasions during the first two years of the Portuguese’s reign at Old Trafford, but has started this season in terrific form, regaining his place in the United XI and the England squad.

And Mourinho says that the left-back's unwavering belief in his own ability has been crucial to his resurgence.

Getty Images

"Luke fully deserves this contract," Mourinho told the club website. "He understood his development process, he has worked really hard at every level and he always believes in himself which is a great attribute to have.

"Luke is still young and is improving all the time and he must feel very proud of himself. I am delighted that we are keeping such a talented young English player with a bright future ahead of him."

In an exclusive interview with the Manchester United app, Shaw himself admitted that staying a new deal looked unlikely this time last season.

"If you look at my situation in the last year and a bit, you'd have thought this could have been impossible," Shaw said.

"But I worked hard, I wanted to be here and I wanted to make sure my future was here to help this club."

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