Pep Guardiola names surprise Man Utd star ‘one of my favourite players’ along with Bruno Fernandes | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola has named Luke Shaw and Bruno Fernandes among his favourite players in football.

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The Manchester City manager had been asked for his thoughts on the FA Youth Cup final, in which the young Sky Blues beat Darren Fletcher’s men 2-1 at the low-capacity Joie Stadium.

The veteran fullback has been ever-present for the Red Devils in the 2025/26 season, amassing 36 appearances (3,061 minutes).

Pep Guardiola admires Luke Shaw

Speaking about Shaw, Guardiola told the press: “Yeah, good [the future of Man Utd]. They are good players. I think the academy for a long time is working really well.

“United always play really good. Happy to see Omar [Berrada] in the stands. The most important part of this club for the last decade. Both of them – Jason [Wilcox] in the academy did in an incredible job.

He went on to add: “Seeing top-class players from United, Bruno, Luke Shaw – one of my favourite players – and Mason Mount, all the players here, the manager, Michael Carrick.”

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You’d expect the legendary head coach to mention United’s player of the season, Bruno Fernandes.

Shaw, however, whose time at Old Trafford has arguably been more defined by his raft of injuries than his time spent on the pitch, was perhaps a surprise mention.

Particularly given Casemiro’s remarkable resurgence at United, firmly defying his critics as the club surged back into the Premier League top three.

But there’s no doubt that the England international has played his part in our success this season, filing out between left-back and the injury-hit centre-back spots when required.

What do the stats say about Shaw for Manchester United this season?

Fernandes tops the chart for average player ratings (8/10) in the Manchester United squad this season, as you might expect.

But Luke Shaw, who’s had his ‘most consistent’ run in a United shirt, does make the top 11 with a Fotmob score of 6.93/10.

* Manchester United players’ average ratings in the 2025/26 Premier League season as of 16/05/26 (Fotmob)

Statistically speaking, he’s not exactly set the world alight, registering just the one assist in the English top-flight this term.

He’s been relatively reliable on the ball and more or less solid against it, but this “consistent”, to use Gary Neville’s phrase, is probably the best praise we can give him.

And when speaking of the young players bursting onto the scene in the FA Youth Cup, we can’t help but wonder whether Pep Guardiola was recalling the Shaw of old at Southampton, terrifying defences with blistering pace.

Those days must feel like a distant memory for Manchester United’s consistent 30-year-old.

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