Man Utd star Luke Shaw brands Red Devils teammate ‘unplayable’ and opens up on World Cup inspiration

Luke Shaw put in another assured performance to help England to a 3-0 win against Wales and set up a clash with African champions Senegal at the round of 16 stage.

The England full-back has rediscovered his best form at club and national team level and is now the undisputed left back for Gareth Southgate in Qatar, and has played a key role in the Three Lions keeping back-to-back clean sheets at the tournament.

He will have to continue his brilliant form though if England are to reach the final, but there is every indication that he’s playing with an abundance of confidence and ability. Asked what has been his driving force in the Middle East, he revealed his nan passed away just before a ball was kicked in Qatar.

He told reporters after the win against Wales: “My nan sadly passed away before the tournament, she had cancer for a long while and she passed away just before the first game. Gareth was really good with me, he spoke to me, asked if everything was okay and if I needed time away to focus on that.

“But this World Cup means so much to me, I didn’t want to miss anything. Of course, I’ve had time to grieve, now it’s time to fully focus on the World Cup. Maybe you could say that. She was a really important part of my childhood. I spent a lot of time with her. She had cancer for a long while and suffered a lot. It’d been a long thing."

Meanwhile, Shaw’s Manchester United teammate Marcus Rashford is joint top scorer at the World Cup after his brace against Wales. He has totally transformed his fortunes at the World Cup and has gone from a man who looked lost last season to one who will be pivotal if the Three Lions are to bring the World Cup home.

Shaw says he sees Rashford in training every at club level and national team daily and the only challenge now is for him to produce at a consistent level.

The English ace added: “He’s so good, the talent he’s got, he can be unplayable. I think he showed that. I think he needs to deliver that every single game he plays. He’s got the quality that can make the difference, he’s an unbelievable player and one that can make the difference for us. Hopefully he can keep those standards high and keep doing it.

“He's very confident. I see it day in, day out – what he’s doing, how he’s training. He took his chance, I think it was his time to start and for me he took his chance. He needs to keep the standards high now, because he’s a really important player.”