Mourinho wants improvement from Manchester United defender

Jose Mourinho has issued a warning to fully fit Luke Shaw and reminded the left-back he needs to work in order to work his way into contention at Manchester United.

Shaw made his first appearance of the season during United’s 4-1 win over Burton in the League Cup on Wednesday after recovering from ankle ligament damage sustained at the end of last season.

The 22-year-old will not feature against former club Southampton on Saturday and Mourinho says there is still plenty of work to do for Shaw to fulfil his potential at Old Trafford.

“He has to work,”  Mourinho told United’s official website. “Just that. You saw the game [vs Burton]. You saw the same as I see. Are you asking if he plays [against Southampton]? No, he isn’t, He has to work. He has to improve.”

“He hasn’t played for six months. If he doesn’t play for six months, I don’t expect him to arrive on Wednesday and be the man of the match and to be running up and down for 45 minutes. It’s just a process, he doesn’t play for a long, long time.

“You have other players in the Premier League that are not starting matches in this moment and their managers say they’re not in the best condition. We’re speaking about some of the best players in the Premier League. Luke had surgery and a long time without playing football. I cannot expect him to be back and strong in his work."

Shaw has endured a nightmare time since joining United from Southampton in 2014, which has not been helped by several long-term injuries. The former England international came off the bench against Burton in midweek and was wrongly denied his first ever United goal for offside.

However, Shaw has only started 29 Premier League matches in more than three seasons at the club and with only two years remaining on his current deal, this season will be pivotal in deciding his United future.