LUKE SHAW’s agent has revealed how the star was helped through his feud with Jose Mourinho rather than forced out of Manchester United “just to make money”.
Jonathan Barnett, who also looks after Gareth Bale and Jack Grealish, revealed the work behind the scenes to save the defender’s trust.
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Luke Shaw has emerged as a star for Manchester United and England after a difficult periodImage credit: AFP
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Agent Jonathan Barnett has spoken of his role in the star’s turnaroundImage Credit: Getty – Contributor
During Mourinho’s stint at Old Trafford, the left-back appeared to be walking towards the exit door.
However, 71-year-old Barnett has shown the role he played in saving his client’s career.
He told The Athletic: “My job in this situation is to make sure that the player’s mood is maintained.
“We try to understand behind the scenes what went wrong. Much of it is personal.
“We had to rebuild his confidence, which we did. We took certain steps. But Luke is a very strong man. He’s never too depressed.”
“His family had to be there for him and we had to be there for him. We didn’t say, ‘You have to leave Man United, we have to go because we have to make money’.
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“We didn’t evict Luke Shaw from Man United. He wanted to stay there. And that’s exactly what he did. And today he’s a great, great player.”
Shaw became the most expensive teenager in football when he signed for £ 30m from Southampton in 2014.
Injuries affected his early years at United before Mourinho’s arrival led to public criticism and an exile from the team.
The Portuguese boss dug up Shaw for playing with “his body but my brain” when he claimed he won over the player with a convincing performance against Everton in 2017.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer got the best out of Shaw even though he failed to convince Mourinho. The 25-year-old was recalled from England.
And Barnett credited analysts at his own agency for helping the star change shape.
He noted, “For example, my company has two analysts who are considered the best in the world and who have worked for some of the biggest football clubs in the world.
“We took them away [from those clubs] work for us. Then we sit down with someone like Luke Shaw and analyze his game for him like a club would.
“This is a personal thing that we do for our players. We show them what they’re doing wrong or what they’re doing right.”
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