Luke Shaw is already world-class according to Mauricio Pochettino[GETTY]
Shaw has burst onto the scene at the Saints this season and made his England debut earlier this month.
But that has attracted speculation that the 18-year-old could be the subject of a £30m bid from Chelsea, United, City or Real Madrid in the summer.
And while Pochettino is not thinking about that possibility, the Argentine claims that Shaw definitely has the quality to play at the top level.
He said: "He can play at Real Madrid or he can play in the world starting XI.
"He really has the quality to do so. I am not sure if he is one [of the best left-backs in the world] already. I think so.
"I am not sure if he is already the best one in the world."
Meanwhile, Pochettino has downplayed speculation that he could leave Southampton for a more high-profile job at the end of the season.
Mauricio Pochettino is not worried about speculation [GETTY]
He can play at Real Madrid or he can play in the world starting XI.
Mauricio Pochettino
He said: "I will repeat what I said last week. Everything is calm and we are working to finish off the season as best as possible."
And Pochettino also claims he has no concerns about Saturday's game with Newcastle being refereed by Andre Mariner, despite the official's gaffe in the match between Arsenal and Chelsea last week.It was a situation
He said: "We have full trust in the referees and we know that it's a very difficult job to do and to do well.
"I'm not really one to analyse the referee's performance before the game.
"In the history of football there have been massive mistakes made in the past by referees, players and manager so it is part of the history of football."
Andre Marriner will ref Southampton this weekend [GETTY]
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