England and Southampton defender Luke Shaw signs long term contract at St. Mary's

Luke Shaw has committed his future to Southampton by signing a new long-term contract at St. Mary's.

The England U17 defender has become a first-team regular for the Saints this season and his impressive form has led to speculation over his future, with a number of clubs linked with a move for him.

But with the faith shown in him by Southampton boss Nigel Adkins, the 17-year-old was only too happy to pledge his future to the Premier League club.

He said: "To put an end to all the speculation, I will be committing my future to Southampton. I’m not going anywhere.

"I think Southampton is the place to be for young kids like me. I’m playing in the Premier League for the first team and that is all anyone wants to be doing, so I just want to carry on."

The left-back has been with the club since he was eight and has followed in the footsteps of players like Gareth Bale, Theo Walcott, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Adam Lallana and many more through their productive youth ranks.

And with fellow England starlets such as Calum Chambers, James Ward-Prowse and Jack Stephens also joining him in the squad at St. Mary's, Shaw believes he is at the right club to further develop.

"I have been at Southampton since a very young age so I've been here a long time now," he added. 

"I think they are happy with me here, and this club is great for young players like us.

"If you look back over the years, Adam [Lallana] has come through the youth system and now he is the captain of the first team, and Prowsey (James Ward-Prowse) has just signed a five-year deal – and that is what I want to be doing.

"We have a lot of trust in our youth and there are more players coming through next year, so hopefully we will just carry on going."

Shaw has been an England regular over the last two years, featuring for the U16 and U17 squads. He was selected for the U18s squad to face Italy earlier this season but was forced to withdraw from the squad through injury.