Luke Shaw Can Become One of Manchester United's Greatest Left-Backs

If you had visited Manchester United's official website on Thursday, you would have seen quotes from Denis Irwin and Arthur Albiston praising Luke Shaw.

Irwin and Albiston are two of United's great left-backs. Irwin sits eighth on the list of the club's all-time appearance markers. Albiston is 10th. Between them they played for United more than 1,000 times.

You imagine the club website asked them to talk about Shaw, United's current left-back, because there's no one better to pass judgement. And they're right.

Irwin won seven Premier League titles and the Champions League at Old Trafford. Albiston left with three FA Cup winners' medals during a time when silverware was a little harder to come by.

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Shaw, though, has a chance to top all that. It's possible that he could leave United with more medals than Irwin and Albiston combined and ahead of both on the list of appearances. 

If everything goes to plan, in 30 years, it will be Shaw speaking to the website about the latest left-back to wear the United shirt. It's entirely possible. 

Still only 19 years old, he's got an opportunity to achieve everything at Old Trafford. Ed Woodward paid nearly £30 million for him in the summer in the hope he wouldn't have to buy another left-back for more than a decade.

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There's a lot that can go wrong in a footballer's career. But barring a serious injury or a sustained loss of form, Shaw should still be wearing the No.3 shirt in 2028. By then he would be 32 and the joints might be creaking a little.

United fans are yet to see a £30 million full-back this season. He's steadily improving, but hamstring and ankle injuries haven't helped the former Southampton defender settle in particularly quickly.

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Louis van Gaal, however, will be unconcerned. He sanctioned the deal in the summer knowing he was paying for the player Shaw might become rather than the one he is now. And there lies Shaw's big chance. As a teenager, he's already good enough to be first choice at a club the size of United and take part in a World Cup with England. 

From that foundation, he should be aiming to become the best left-back in the world while winning everything there is to win with United. 

With so much time on his side, he has the chance to challenge Irwin, Albiston and Patrice Evra as United's greatest left-back. It's up to him whether or not he succeeds.