There are plenty of parallels to be drawn between the careers of Luke Shaw and Ryan Sessegnon.
Both were talked about as future England internationals when they were both teenagers.
Both earned big money moves from the teams where they came through the ranks to two of the biggest clubs in the country.
And then they both suffered setbacks.
Jose Mourinho is a common factor. His treatment of Shaw at Manchester United was shameful and decimated Shaw’s confidence.
At Tottenham, he loaned out Sessegnon, outsourcing the next stage of his development to Hoffenheim in Germany.
But in truth, the issues both players suffered run deeper and are more varied than the Portuguese manager.
Sessengnon, like £27 million (BBC) man Shaw, was held to exceptionally high standards from a very young age and tipped for huge success.
But Shaw should offer inspiration for Sessegnon now.
The Manchester United man has put together the best season of his career under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, a manager who believes in him and has given him the freedom to play his own game.
He’s got his England place back and at 25, looks to have a hugely successful career laid out in front of him.
Shaw’s progress also shows the folly of writing players off too soon.
Sessegnon told the Telegraph in March 2018 that he looked up to Shaw when he was coming through.
That made the rest of us feel old but also shows that Shaw can act as an inspiration for Sessegnon when he returns to Tottenham next season.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
