Man United target Mauricio Pochettino went to extraordinary lengths to stop Luke Shaw eating pizza

Luke Shaw could soon have unsolicited visits from Mauricio Pochettino at his home again. Pochettino has emerged as a leading contender to replace Michael Carrick at Manchester United, as talkSPORT understands the incumbent Red Devils boss is on the verge of being axed. Should that scenario eventuate, it would mark a reunion for Shaw and Pochettino that has been over a decade in the making. Under Pochettino’s tutelage, a then-teenage Shaw established himself at left-back in Southampton’s line-up during the 2013/14 season. That proved to be the only full season they spent together, as Pochettino was appointed Tottenham manager in May 2014 while Shaw departed for United shortly after. But it wasn’t all smooth sailing for the duo, especially for Shaw. As Saints manager, Pochettino wanted all of his players to eat healthy foods to help maximise their output in training and on matchdays. Yet not all of the Southampton players could be relied on to maintain a diet, with a young Shaw chief among those. A story soon emerged that Pochettino would call over to Shaw’s house, where he had to stop the youngster from tucking into a pizza. Mauricio Pochettino spills beans on Luke Shaw pizza rumours The tale was brought back up when Pochettino made an appearance on the Stick to Football podcast, where he appeared to confirm it was indeed true. Gary Neville asked: “Was it true that when you was at Southampton like with Luke Shaw, that you used to go round to his house because he was eating pizzas and you used to make the players eat the right foods all the time? “Is that true about the Luke Shaw story, or is that a myth?” Pochettino replied: “Yes. It’s like another thing that makes us proud because okay, you asked two questions, yes.” United legend Roy Keane then jumped in with a cheeky swipe at Shaw. “I think he’s still eating pizzas, by the way, you stopped him in Southampton and now he’s eating them in Manchester,” Keane said. The Irishman’s remark prompted laughter from the group, before he quickly added: “Only joking.” How long has Luke Shaw been at Manchester United? Shaw evidently learned how to take care of his nutrition as he’s since gone on to make over 300 appearances for United across 13 seasons. The left-back would undoubtedly have featured more, if not for a string of injuries over the years. Per Transfermarkt, Shaw has missed 301 games for club and country since he moved to the Red Devils. He is currently sidelined with a muscle problem he picked up during United’s 1-1 draw with Tottenham on October 10.