Manchester United's Luke Shaw Named Club's Fittest Player Despite Manager Digs Over Condition

Manchester United's forgotten defender Luke Shaw has been touted as the club's fittest player, alongside Antonio Valencia, despite José Mourinho's repeated

Manchester United's forgotten defender Luke Shaw has been touted as the club's fittest player, alongside Antonio Valencia, despite José Mourinho's repeated comments regarding his sub-standard condition. 

Shaw is believed to have worked himself back into Mourinho's good books after recovering from a long-term foot injury, but is yet to start a league game this season.

Richard Heathcote/GettyImages

As reported by the Sun, a Carrington insider informed the publication that the England international's dedication to the gym has worked wonders to his stamina, and claimed:

"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.”

🤷🏼‍♂️ #Training #UCL #MUFC pic.twitter.com/VRHbCGoWzJ

— Luke Shaw (@LukeShaw23) November 21, 2017

Mourinho spent much of the 2016/17 season berating the fitness of his players, with Luke Shaw among the unlucky few targeted for their poor physical condition. The 22-year-old spent nearly a year out of the game, after his career was suddenly under threat after suffering a fractured tibia in 2015. 

Shaw will be desperate to play first team football as soon as possible, as his chances of playing for England in the World Cup are becoming more distant by the day. With Danny Rose, Ryan Bertrand and Ashley Young currently ahead of Shaw in the pecking order, a regular run of impressive displays in the Premier League are pivotal to regaining his Three Lions spot.

Shaw burst onto the Premier League scene in 2012, after graduating from the infamous Southampton youth academy and making a name for himself in the top tier of English football. 

United signed the talented left-back in 2014, but his injury concerns have put a spanner in the works on the player's burgeoning career.