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Luke Shaw admits his ‘not easy’ new Man United role.
After the team’s FA Cup semifinal victory over Brighton, Luke Shaw acknowledged that playing centre defence for Manchester United is “not easy.”
Due to the injuries to Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez as well as Harry Maguire’s domestic suspension, the Red Devils’ defence was forced to make use of the natural left-back at the centre position.
Shaw, who has already filled the position a few times this season, appeared very at ease playing with Victor Lindelof in centre defence during the final penalty shootout victory at Wembley Stadium, managing to contain an outstanding Brighton attacking unit for more than 120 minutes.
Despite looking like a natural in the role, speaking to the press after the game, Shaw admitted to finding the positional change to be a challenge, stating: “Obviously it’s not easy [playing at centre-back]. If it was in a three, it’s a bit different. But when it’s two, it’s a lot different, to be honest.
“But whenever I play there, I really enjoy it and obviously we had a couple days [to prepare]. The manager spoke to me about it and Victor of course because against a team like this they’re very tricky, a lot of tactical [information]. Sometimes I had to stay in the middle of the pitch to follow them.
“So it’s something new but I love playing there, I love playing football. To get the win today was the most important thing.”
When Harry Maguire returns from his one-match ban on Thursday evening for the encounter against Tottenham Hotspur, Shaw might be moved back across to left-back.
Luke Shaw has unquestionably been one of Manchester United’s best and most reliable players under Erik ten Hag this season, along with goalscorer Marcus Rashford.
The defender has so far played a significant role in the new manager’s plans, appearing in 39 games across all competitions for the club and consistently turning up strong performances.