It was on a warm July evening in Los Angeles, seven years ago, that Luke Shaw hit the first bump in the road which would have made you doubt if he could play for England in a game like Saturday's quarter-final in Rome.
He had only just signed for Manchester United, but within minutes of his first public training session, his new manager Louis van Gaal was berating him. The Dutchman declared Shaw unfit, dropped him for the third pre-season match against Inter Milan and subjected him to an individual training regime. 'He needs to be fit and is not fit enough to do what I want,' Van Gaal warned.
Shaw has heard that kind of negativity from almost every manager he has worked with, so his vital contribution to Tuesday's 2-0 win over Germany was a true tale of redemption.
Manchester United and England left back Luke Shaw has enjoyed a brilliant revival recently
Shaw shone for England as they overcame Germany to progress to the Euro quarter-finals
Van Gaal criticised England boss Roy Hodgson at one stage, without irony, for publicly lecturing Shaw on his fitness, while Jose Mourinho even criticised the full-back when he had played well.
In the midst of all that, there were the mental and physical scars left by a poorly timed tackle from PSV Eindhoven's Hector Moreno which left Shaw hospitalised in the Netherlands, his leg broken in two places, in 2015.
The 25-year-old's return to the top of his game, as Manchester United's player of the year last season, is testament to the effects that positive management can have. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who encourages where Mourinho used to confront, has made a huge difference to Shaw's mindset.
Shaw also speaks of how his family are prepared to challenge him to push himself more. This is especially true of his partner, Anouska Santos, who does not just say what he wants to hear.
Shaw has learned the hard way after tough spells at United, including under Jose Mourinho
The process of maturity has helped. Shaw has been around at the top of the game for so long that it's easy to forget he is still only 25. He has not always been at peak fitness in that time, too often pulling out of England camps because of physical issues.
His redemption is about a virtuous circle of factors. Evading injury has
