Thursday 30 October 2014 14:43, UK
Manchester United defender Luke Shaw is relishing the chance to play against Chelsea, the team he supported growing up, at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Shaw spent much of his childhood on the terraces at Stamford Bridge, and actually had a trial at the west London club as a youngster, but was rejected after being deemed too short.
The Blues then had a chance to sign him from Southampton this summer, but balked at his wage demands according to Jose Mourinho, and United swooped to land the 19-year-old.
The left-back faced Chelsea in a Southampton shirt last season but he admits featuring in a game between United and the Premier League leaders is a far bigger proposition.
"Playing against Chelsea is a big thing in my family and among my friends because I was born around that area of London," Shaw said. "I used to watch them when I was younger.
"When I first played at Stamford Bridge with Southampton it was a bit of a surreal experience in a lot of ways because it was at a ground I'd visited as a kid.
"But playing against Chelsea with United at Old Trafford is a different proposition altogether.
"I'm really looking forward to it, especially with how big this fixture is.
"Everyone knows that United-Chelsea games are massive. It's one of the biggest games in world football and there will be people everywhere watching it on TV."
Shaw came in for criticism from Louis Van Gaal at the beginning of the season for turning up out of shape following his World Cup campaign with England and undertook extra training to catch up only to then suffer a knee injury which ruled him out of the first few weeks of the season.
Since regaining his fitness, the teenager has failed to reproduce the form which convinced United to pay £30m to secure his services and Roy Hodgson to select him ahead of Ashley Cole for England’s World Cup squad.
Shaw acknowledged his performances haven’t been up to the standards he set last season but he is confident he will improve, starting with Chelsea on Sunday.
"The fans haven't seen the best of me yet,” he admitted. “I know I haven't been up to my full potential.
"There aren't many games that are bigger than this one and that's why I'm really hoping to be a part of it. I want to show people what I can do in games like this," he said.
You can watch Manchester United’s clash with Chelsea live on Sky Sports 1 HD on Sunday, with coverage starting from 3.30pm.
