Luke Shaw credits United gaffer Jose Mourinho for England recall

England and Manchester United defender Luke Shaw credited club manager Jose Mourinho for making it to the national team after more than a year, after the left-back was named in England’s squad for their Nations League fixture against Spain on Saturday and for a friendly against Switzerland on  Tuesday.

His comeback to the national side is a result of his good start to this season of the English Premier League where he has got starts in all the four matches his team has played. He was heavily criticised by Mourinho and wasn’t a regular name in the Manchester United side.

Shaw said that he wanted to prove a point to Mourinho after he was criticised by the Portuguese last season.

“I think he (Mourinho) got frustrated with me because he knew I could do better,” he said, as quoted by The Indian Express. “When I look back, maybe he was right.”

“It was a tough few years but it made me stronger mentally. I wanted to prove to him I could do what he said I couldn’t. I had a chat with the manager before the season and he said he wanted me to stay,” he added further.

He also said that he has matured enough to know what to do to push himself to perform well.

“I’ve matured. You could say I’ve gone from a kid to a man. I know what I need to do to push myself. I want to play for Manchester United, stay there and prove my worth to the team,” added Shaw.

Shaw’s transfer to Manchester United from Southampton in the year 2014 created a buzz in the transfer market as he was the most expensive teenager at 27 million, four months after having made his debut for England.

He was a member of the first team at United under Louis Van Gaal before a leg injury, which he sustained against PSV Eindhoven in 2015 which ruled him out for the rest of the season.  A groin injury saw him miss two months of the 2016-2017 season.

Recalling that horrific injury, Shaw, as quoted by BBC said, “I had a lot of complications with my leg and that was the really hard moment for me in my career.

“No-one knows but I was really close to actually losing my leg. I never knew that until six months later when the doctor told me.

“At the time, they were thinking about flying me back and if I’d have flown back, I would probably have lost my leg because of the blood clots and stuff,” he added.