“It looks like he will stay” – Southampton boss speaks out on £30m Shaw

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Chelsea and Manchester United have been dealt a blow in their pursuit of Southampton left back Luke Shaw.

Shaw, 18, has been one of the star performers in the Premier League this season, contributing a number of fine performances for Southampton and establishing himself as an England international, with many believing that the youngster will beat Ashley Cole to a place on the plane to the World Cup in Brazil this summer.

But as with many promising players, their impressive displays catch the eye of other, bigger teams – and that’s certainly been the case with Shaw, as Chelsea and United have both been linked with £30m swoops for the starlet ahead of the summer transfer window.

Chelsea had long been seen as favourites to land his services, but news broke on Wednesday that United were confident of bringing the left back to Old Trafford this summer, as the club looks to do most of their transfer business before the World Cup, where prices can inflate with good showings.

But whilst many saw it as a foregone conclusion that Shaw would be leaving St. Mary’s Stadium, his manager Mauricio Pochettino has other ideas – suggesting that his young star will continue to be a Southampton player, and that any decision made over Shaw’s future would be made by the board and not Pochettino himself.

“At the end of the day Luke Shaw is a player that belongs to Southampton, and it will be the club, Southampton, that makes the decision as to what happens with his future,” he said. “Of course there will be interest for him, but so far, right now he’s a player at Southampton and it looks as though it will continue that way.

“There are a lot of players who are under interest at Southampton, but they are all very happy at the football club, and most of them are under long-term contracts. They understand the situation of what it means to be a professional player in the Premier League. There’s nothing really we have to speak about on that front,” he added.

“If there is any decision to be made, it is for the owners, not for me,” concluded Pochettino, who will be desperately hoping that Shaw does stay on the South Coast – even though it looks incredibly unlikely right now.