Jose Mourinho expects Luke Shaw to ‘be a Manchester United player for years’

Shaw looked set to leave the club but a turnaround in form has seen him become a regular again

Shaw has managed to persuade Mourinho he is worth a new contract

Jose Mourinho has confirmed he expects Luke Shaw to sign a new contract before the end of the season after admitting he thinks the left back “will be a Manchester United player for years”.

There had been various points over the past year and a half when the Portuguese had been fed up with Shaw, often leaving him on the sidelines for extended periods and publicly criticising him.

The expectation was that the left-back would be available for sale last summer, only to have to go undergo surgery, and Mourinho still wanted to bring in one of Juventus’ Alex Sandro or Tottenham Hotspur’s Danny Rose, even after the 22-year-old showed a renewed vigour on his return.

However, a return in form since his injuries have persuaded Mourinho to include Shaw more and more often in recent weeks and he has now admitted the Englishman’s hard work looks enough to have earned him a new contract at Old Trafford.

“I know Shaw since he arrived in the Premier League with Southampton Fc and know his potential and quality,” he said. “Could he work in my direction? The way I like my players to be not just on the pitch but during the training week? He made a big effort.

“He’s been free of minor injuries for a few months which sometimes stops the evolution and I’m really happy. The natural consequence of it is that he will have his contract and he will be a United player for years.”