Neville: Shaw Can Be A Long-term Success

Manchester United ambassador Gary Neville has backed Luke Shaw to become a long-term triumph at Old Trafford following his summer transfer from Southampton.

Shaw joined the Reds on 27 June to become the most expensive teenager in world football, signing a four-year contract that will keep him at the club until June 2018.

Neville is the 19-year-olds's coach with England and, having watched him at close quarters during this summer's World Cup in Brazil, the Treble-winner is struggling to contain his enthusiasm for what the future might hold for the Reds' teenage prodigy.

"I am trying to keep guarded here about the size of talent that exists in this footballer," Gary told the Manchester Evening News. "You are talking about brilliant potential.

"The reason United spent £27m on a left-back at his age is because they see the huge talent and I can only endorse that talent. You have to watch him at close hand to realise that this is an incredible and hugely talented football player. Luke Shaw is fantastic."

Shaw has built a reputation as one of the Premier League's most exciting young stars as a result of his excellent performances with Southampton, where he was handed a first-team debut aged 16 before taking his top-flight bow a year later in the 2012/13 season.

Neville made his own United debut as a raw 17-year-old – against Torpedo Moscow in 1992 – and knows how difficult it can be to cement a first-team position. But he is convinced that Shaw's grounding at former club Saints will help him settle.

"Luke did brilliantly last season in the Premier League and he did enough to warrant and deserve an England call," added Gary. "We were really pleased with him in the summer at the World Cup. We felt he did really well against Costa Rica on his full debut.

"United fans have got to understand - and this is not the boy's fault - that when you sign someone at that age for £27m, you don't get perfection straight away but you have to give him time and space to develop. Luke will need time to settle in, as any 19-year-old boy would coming to Manchester.

"I am expecting he will do well this season but you will see a really quite fantastic full-back in 18 months to two years. When he matures and gets used to the club and settles into the environment and understands the expectation he will blossom.

"I came through at 16-17 with the rest of my mates and we virtually lived in the football club. We knew the expectations. It was drilled into us. He is coming from a very good football club and a very good youth system but he is now at a giant of a club. The expectations are massive. But he will get used to that."