Luke Shaw Reportedly Hesitant Over Signing New Man Utd Contract Despite Looming Free Agency

Manchester United defender Luke Shaw is reportedly hesitant to sign a new contract with the Old Trafford club for now, despite being on course to become a free agent next summer.

Shaw has been United's first choice left-back so far this season after putting in tremendous levels of hard work since the end of the 2017/18 campaign and repairing an apparently fractured relationship with manager Jose Mourinho.

OLI SCARFF/GettyImages

His form earned him United's Player of the Month award for August and a recall to the England squad - a nasty head injury during Saturday's UEFA Nations League clash with Spain was an unfortunate setback to his resurgence.

Yet a report from The Sun has claimed that Shaw is stalling on signing a new United contract, even though the tabloid alleges he is in line for a pay rise to £130,000-per-week.

On the face of it that may come as something as a surprise as Shaw finally appears to be thriving at Old Trafford and back to the excellent form that he'd shown in the early weeks of the 2015/16 season prior to his horrific leg break.

But a rather honourable Shaw was adamant during the summer that he didn't want to sign a new contract unless he felt his performances actually merited one. At that stage he was equally insistent that he wouldn't be signing fresh terms simply so the club can command a transfer fee.

"For me personally, I don't think I would want to sign a contract right now. Because I want to prove to people that I deserve a contract," the player explained to the media in July.

"I don't want to sign one because of blah, blah, blah, whatever happens in the next couple of months. I want to earn a contract and I want a contract because I deserve a contract. I don't want a contract because maybe in the next year or so I'm a free agent, so maybe they might look to tie me down for that," he added.

OLI SCARFF/GettyImages

"But I want to sign a contract because I deserve it and the club want me to sign one."

Perhaps the reason for The Sun's claim is that Shaw doesn't yet feel he has reached that level and is looking to do more before he decides to commit himself to United.