Manchester United

Luke Shaw 'now the fittest player at Manchester United'

By Daniel Lewis, Senior Reporter | 28 November 2017

A report claims that full-back Luke Shaw, along with Antonio Valencia, topped Manchester United's rankings relating to core fitness.

Out-of-favour Manchester United defender Luke Shaw has reportedly transformed himself into the fittest player at Old Trafford.

The 22-year-old has been pushed down the full-back pecking order since Jose Mourinho's arrival last year, being restricted to just two appearances in all competitions this term - both from the bench in the EFL Cup.

Mourinho has previously hinted that Shaw has been overlooked due to being out of shape but, according to The Sun, the England international hopeful has topped the rankings relating to overall core fitness.

Antonio Valencia is also said to have scored highly at United's Carrington training base, while stocky striker Romelu Lukaku was at the opposite end of the spectrum.

A Red Devils insider is quoted as saying: "Luke and Antonio are the best when it comes to actual endurance and stamina. Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba might be the strongest in terms of their obvious size and physicality, but Luke rates much higher in terms of overall fitness."

Shaw's improved fitness is understood to be down to spending longer hours on the cardio machines at the club gym, having grown frustrated by his minimal playing time over the past year.