Shaw: I nearly lost my leg
Man United left-back recalls horrific leg break, thanks Mourinho after earning England recall
England left-back Luke Shaw believes his Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho was right to criticise him and said the Portuguese had been key to his international recall.
Shaw, 23, was last week named in the England squad for the first time in 18 months for the Uefa Nations League match against Spain on Sunday morning (Singapore time) and the friendly with Switzerland at Leicester City's King Power Stadium 72 hours later.
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His return to the international fold follows a strong start to the season in which he has played every minute of United's opening four games, after he struggled to get into the team last term, with Mourinho critical of Shaw's attitude.
"I think he got frustrated with me because he knew I could do better," Shaw said on how he was treated by the United manager.
"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."
Shaw also revealed during a news conference on Tuesday that before the season, he had a chat with Mourinho who wanted him to stay at the club.
"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."
Shaw was one of the most expensive teenagers in world football when he moved to Old Trafford from Southampton for £27 million (then S$57m) in June 2014 aged 18, having made his England debut four months previously.
He was a regular in former United manager Louis van Gaal's team until he broke his leg in two places against PSV Eindhoven in September 2015.
He subsequently missed two months of the 2016-17 season with a groin problem and then twice had operations on his foot.
"I had a lot of complications with my leg and that was the really hard moment for me in my career," he added.
"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.
BLOOD CLOTS
"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.
"But I don't really care about that any more. I feel really strong - and my right leg is exactly as it was before my leg break."
Shaw has seven caps but his last appearance was in March 2017 as a substitute in a 1-0 friendly loss to Germany.
He said he was "gutted" to miss out on the World Cup and watching from the outside inspired him to have extra training in Dubai during the close season to get fit for the new campaign.
England, playing for the first time after the World Cup, will be without the injured Adam Lallana and Raheem Sterling. - REUTERS
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