When the spiral started at Manchester United last season Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw were culpable so often they seemed conjoined.
Privately, Shaw felt he was exposed amid his willingness to cover for Maguire. A confidant advised Shaw to be more selfish.
There is scant evidence of selfishness throughout Shaw's eight years with United. He has regained form this season, arguably his best two terms on from his stellar 2020-21 campaign.
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For context, that was played out almost entirely with the turnstiles locked and umpteen results were as misleading as United's second-place finish. This season, with the adrenaline whirring at packed grounds, Shaw has improved and overcome the setback of a summer signing dislodging him.
Shaw's approach is unrecognisable from the teenager United invested £31million in back in 2014. He was not a month into his United career when Louis van Gaal publicly admonished Shaw for lacking the required fitness and it got tougher under Jose Mourinho.
Mourinho might have smiled at Shaw's progress at Bournemouth. Shortly after pinging the ball into the top corner during the warm-up, Shaw returned to the dressing room while his teammates continued their preparations.
It was only when Erik ten Hag suddenly emerged from the tunnel, strode onto the sun-kissed turf, stopped to press the flesh of the officials and made a beeline for Tyrell Malacia that it become apparent the teamsheets might have to be updated.
With less than 20 minutes until kick-off, Malacia started warming up more rigorously, initially with one of the fitness staff, before breaking off to join the starters. Malacia was among them for their shuttle runs before they jogged towards the main stand.
The United officials clarified there had not been an 11th-hour change but it was not until Shaw stepped into the tunnel to join the back of the queue that his starting status was confirmed.
Whatever the issue, Shaw overcame it to play 90 minutes. Mourinho once offered Shaw a backhanded compliment for offering to play through extra time in the Europa League quarter-final against Anderlecht, having witheringly remarked he was "a long way behind" three weeks earlier.
A source who dealt with Shaw during his Southampton days likened his lifestyle to that of a student; how he would be dependent on one of his hangers-on cooking him stir-fries.
Some followed Shaw to Manchester and it was not until his partner and mother of his two children, Anouska, advised he change his living arrangements that Shaw started to make headway at United.
Shaw was naive during those first few years up north. Sidelined for the first weeks of his first season, he arrived for a meal at San Carlo on King Street gone 8pm and left at around 11. Amid scrutiny over his weight, the paparazzi were tipped off and Shaw's eating habits were queried.
You could tell Shaw was not media-trained when he chatted to the MEN at the Manchester Health Academy in Wythenshawe in February 2015: "I think that you can't always eat healthy. There's going to be a day during the week, maybe after the game, you can have a bad snack.
"You can have maybe a chocolate bar or maybe even a takeaway once a month but it's always got to be after the game, not during the week when you're training towards the game."
That candour is to be admired and Shaw is one of the best talkers in the United squad, a forthright voice who echoes matchgoing sentiment.
His nearest and dearest acknowledge Shaw has always been top-heavy but, having interviewed him a number of times, he is a muscular presence and deceptively strong.
As a United season ticket holder noted, Shaw also has a snide edge in 50-50 duels. He ensures he is not the one coming off worse; a possible legacy of Hector Moreno's brutal tackle in Eindhoven in September 2015.
Shaw is now a player that Van Gaal and Mourinho would cherish: multi-functional, tactically flexible with a consistent performance level and prepared to play through the pain barrier.
Casemiro has not spoken much English during his nine months in England but he offered a "Well done, Lukey" at the Vitality Stadium. Ten Hag also avuncularly referred to Shaw as "Lukey". Those two endorsements ring the loudest at United.
It was Shaw who suggested to Ten Hag he slot in at centre half when United were depleted there against Burnley for the season's resumption in December. Ten Hag plumped for Casemiro but Shaw has started 11 times at centre-back, United have kept five clean sheets and only lost twice - both 1-0s.
It is easy to forget Shaw entered the final year of his first contract at United in 2018, so sporadic was he in those first four seasons. Before the horrific injury in Eindhoven, he started in a paltry 18 of United's 44 games during his debut campaign. That dropped to 17 two seasons later in 2016-17 and then to 14 the next term.
His recent contract renewal makes good on United's investment. At the time Shaw posed for his unveiling photos at Carrington, the hope was United had a left-back for the next 10 years. He will be eligible for a testimonial next year.
Someone so unselfish is unlikely to accept one.
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