It's fair to say Luke Shaw hasn't enjoyed a purple patch of late.
The England international, 27, hasn't played in the Premier League since he was hauled off at half-time in Manchester United's 4-0 humbling to Brentford in August and some thought his World Cup hopes looked slim. Gareth Southgate, however, thought differently.
The Three Lions boss started Shaw against Germany in Monday night's 3-3 draw at Wembley and he put in a stellar performance at left-back, reminding United manager what he brings to his squad. It was a display that might just see him regain his Old Trafford spot.
England were poor during the opening 20 minutes of Monday night's game and didn't really threaten the goal until Shaw played a tremendous pass from his own half into Raheem Sterling's feet on the edge of Germany's box, bending the ball around two defenders.
Although Sterling failed to beat goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, it was a moment that reminded everyone of Shaw's undeniable ability. The left-back then capped off his evening by scoring a goal that was similar to his famous strike in the Euro 2020 final.
Shaw popped up at the near post to hammer an effort on target. Although Ter Stegen got in the way of the hit, the ball trickled over the line. That made it 2-1 and gave England some hope, which later turned into a 3-2 lead. It was a vital contribution.
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Watching Shaw on Monday night, it was hard to believe he's not played in the Premier League for over a month. Tyrell Malacia has done well in his place and, considering United have won four consecutive league games, Ten Hag won't want to drop the Dutchman.
But Shaw's performance against Germany may just change Ten Hag' opinion on Shaw. Southgate certainly hopes so, sending a clear message to Ten Hag in his post-match press conference. "He [Shaw] is an outstanding footballer," insisted the England boss.
"What do we do? Not pick Luke Shaw because he's not playing enough football? Or do we pick a player who can do what you saw tonight?
"That's always going to raise debate, but I think in these moments we've got to back our best and our most experienced players - unless we're in a situation where it's almost untenable and impossible to pick them."
There's also a chance Shaw could be regain his United spot, with Malacia switching to right-back. Speaking after United's 2-0 win against Sheriff Tiraspol earlier this month, Ten Hag said: "We did some experiments, bringing Tyrell on the right and Luke on the left, we can be very able, we need that in the season."
Although Shaw's United future remains in the balance, his performance against Germany - as well as Southgate's comments - have sent a timely reminder to Ten Hag. It's now up to the Red Devils boss whether Shaw returns to Premier League action next month.
