The striker – who joined City on an initial three-year contract in the summer of 2021 from Bordeaux - will now remain at the Academy Stadium until the summer of 2026 after putting pen to paper on a new deal.
The Jamaican was in scintillating form in 2022/23, scoring 31 goals in 30 appearances in all competitions, alongside securing numerous personal accolades including City’s Player and Goal of the Season awards, numerous league and PFA Player of the Month successes and being named Concacaf Women’s Player of the Year.
Her efforts this term have seen her rack up 50 goals in total for Gareth Taylor’s side since her arrival in England two summers ago, with her having firmly established herself as one of the most prolific forwards in Europe.
Also making waves on the international stage with her homeland, Shaw helped the Reggae Girlz qualify for this summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup and finish third in the Concacaf Women’s Championship.
And following the conclusion of the domestic season, the 26-year-old has committed her future to Manchester City with a two-year extension to her current deal.
Speaking after putting pen to paper on her new deal, Shaw said: “I’m delighted to continue my journey with this amazing group.
“Everyone made me feel welcome from the first day I came here. I enjoy the way we play and I’m at a stage now where I understand the way we play and I can only get better and grow.
“I think here at City is the perfect place for me. I put all my effort and time on the pitch and obviously for the position I play and the quality I have around me, I know I’m going to be in positions to score goals.
“I’ve always said Manchester feels like home away from home too. I enjoy coming into the City ground every day and training with the group, vibing with the girls and I also have family here, so Manchester has felt like home ever since I arrived.
“I just want to thank our fans for everything, all the love and support they’ve given me since I arrived. I’ll just try my best to continue repaying them on the football pitch.”
Head Coach Gareth Taylor added: “Bunny’s growth and development as a player over the past two years, but particularly this season, has been fantastic and we’re thrilled to see her extend her contract with us.
“She has thrived having had the opportunity of extended runs in the team throughout the current campaign and has shown on a regular basis what a talent she is and why we brought her to the Club.
“She scored goals regularly in France and America prior to joining us, and has now shown what she’s capable of in England too which says a lot about her ability.
“She is still a young player though who wants to improve and is hungry for success, and we’re only scratching the surface with her which is a very exciting prospect as we aim to develop her even further over the next three years.”
A season to remember
Wherever Bunny Shaw’s career has taken her, goals have followed.
She joined Manchester City in the summer of 2021 on the back of finding the net 24 times in 21 appearances in her final season at French outfit Bordeaux.
It’s a similar story on the international front with Shaw, her nation’s record scorer, finding the net 56 times in less than 50 appearances, spearheading the Reggae Girlz to each of their first two World Cup appearances.
Even her debut campaign at the Academy Stadium – a season which the forward perhaps overcritically describes as one where she ‘could’ve given more’ – yielded 19 goals in all competitions as she vied for a regular starting berth with legendary forward Ellen White.
However, it’s fair to say that the Jamaican has taken her game to a new level in 2022/23.
A brace in our first competitive match of the season against WFC Tomiris-Turan set the tone for a season where the 26-year-old has broken new goalscoring boundaries for Gareth Taylor’s side.
By the end of November 2022, Shaw had grabbed 11 goals in 10 appearances, hitting the 20-goal mark in all competitions by late February.
Soon after, the Jamaican’s brace at Brighton in the Barclays Women’s Super League – taking her tally to 26 for the season – saw her surpass Nikita Parris’ record for the most goals across a single campaign. There were still eight matches left to play.
To further demonstrate how clinical Shaw has been in front of goal, 30 of her 31 strikes this season came from inside the box. 21 of those were scored with her first touch.
But to talk solely about her goals would be a detriment to Shaw’s influence on the rest of the team.
Indeed, only Chloe Kelly (14) and Lauren Hemp (11) provided more assists than the forward (9) across the campaign, with her physical stature, awareness and impressive first touch allowing her to bring other players into the fold.
“I noticed that the centre-backs were so scared of Bunny, her movement and her aerial threat that they were all attracted to her,” Laura Coombs explained when reflecting on her Manchester derby goal in December 2022.
“We speak about this a lot; I just have to end up behind Bunny somewhere. If it evades her, it’ll come to me.
“She always says she gets the attention from the defenders, so I thought I’d be sneaky and follow her in, and it worked really well.”
Whether it’s providing for her team-mates or finishing off the move herself, the Jamaican has played a vital role in the growth of this exciting young City side and is sure to continue doing so over the next three seasons.
