“Iconic. So cool.”: Luke Shaw pinpoints 3 legends of the club who have inspired him at Old Trafford

Manchester United defender Luke Shaw has enjoyed one of his best seasons in years. Fine form The England left back has suffered with injuries throughout his entire Manchester United career. In spite of being the club’s longest-serving player, having joined the club in 2014, he has only played 322 times. This is two times fewer than Bruno Fernandes, who only joined the side in 2020. Nonetheless, Shaw has been ever-present this season and has played all 35 Premier League matches this season, grabbing one assist. In an interview with the club media, Shaw went into detail about three Manchester United players who have inspired him over the years. Inspirations Reflecting on his childhood, Shaw recalled, “it’s just Becks, wasn’t it? I think he was so iconic. So cool. He was kind of different to a lot of footballers, because, you know, it’s not just on the pitch, but off the pitch, the way he was. And I think like, you know, like when you’re growing up and you’re playing football and you’re shooting, you’re always like shouting Beckham.” Shaw then referenced another Manchester United legend, a player with whom he was able to share the pitch for a short time: Cristiano Ronaldo. The left back explained, “I feel like I’ve been really lucky with the players I’ve played with. I could go through so many, but I think the top one is, and it has to be, Cristiano.” He elaborated, “I feel like you can see so easily why he’s been at the top for so long. His dedication, how professional he is. He’s been one of the best players in the world for countless years now, but just seeing the way he lives, the way he prepares, you know, his dedication of what he does before training, after training.” Finally, Shaw also revealed that Zlatan Ibrahimovic left a mark on him. Like Ronaldo, the Englishman only spent a short period of time sharing a pitch with the Swedish legend, but it still made an impact. He asserted, “his winning mentality was something I don’t think I’ve seen. A lot of top players have winning mentalities, but his was so, so big.” Shaw continued, “even in little training games, he always wanted to win. I mean, if you didn’t win and you were on his team, then you would know about it.” The defender also claimed he was a “proper good character” off the pitch and that “everybody loved him”. Luke Shaw 25/26 season stats Games playedGoalsAssists 3501 Source: transfermarkt.com Featured image Julian Finney via Getty Images The Peoples Person has been one of the world’s leading Man United news sites for over a decade. Follow us on Bluesky: @peoplesperson.bsky.social Alex Browne Alex is a huge Manchester United fan, inspired by greats of his homeland such as George Best, Harry Gregg and Norman Whiteside. Alex has a Master’s degree from Queen’s University Belfast and La Universitat Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. Having lived in the country since 2011, Alex is The Peoples Person’s Spanish football expert and is fluent in both Spanish and Catalan. He dreams of witnessing a United captain triumphantly hoisting the Premier League and Champions League trophy in the air once more.