Former Manchester United defender Wes Brown heaped praise on Luke Shaw for his versatility after a number of strong performances at centre-back.
Shaw was moved into a central position around the turn of the year, initially as cover for the injured Lisandro Martinez. However despite the Argentine's return to fitness, Erik ten Hag decided to keep his left-back in the new role for the 2-1 Manchester derby win mid-way through January.
The 27-year-old went on to make a number of appearances in central defence, with Martinez suffering a broken metatarsal against Sevilla in April and ruled out for the remainder of the season. Ten Hag has often preferred Shaw to club captain Harry Maguire, owed in part to him being left-footed.
However that is not the only reason, with the United man proving a solid and progressive option on the left of the central pair. His natural physicality has also helped in battles against top strikers including Erling Haaland.
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Brown knows what it is like to switch between full-back and centre-back, having done so at United - albeit he started out as a central defender and moved out wide. And the former Reds man believes Shaw's seamless switch is down to his positional sense and aerial presence.
“We know him as an excellent left-back but he's been unbelievable [at centre-back],” Brown told United's media team. “As a full-back, you’d probably only play there a few times until the other defenders all come back [from injury]. But because Luke has played so well, he’s been, pretty much, the next-choice centre-back.
“I’m not sure if he played there as a kid, but he just seems to read the game very well. He’s good in the air, his positioning is good and getting better after a few games.”
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