In what was a rather bleak festive period for Manchester United, Luke Shaw’s return to action was something to be excited about.

The 23-year-old’s career at Old Trafford seemed in doubt when he was turning out for the Under-23s in October.

But Shaw appeared five times in December and produced a fine performance in the 2-0 win over Everton on New Year’s Day, too.

His recent performances will go some way to convincing Jose Mourinho, whose relationship with Shaw has been frosty, to say the least, that the left-back has a future at the club.

Yet in the eyes of Paul Scholes, Shaw must learn to cope with criticism from his manager.

"You have to be able to take a bit of stick from the manager,” Scholes said on BT Sport, per The Sun.

"You’re at this big club for a reason - you’re a very good player and mentally you should be prepared for whatever’s coming your way."

Shaw 'shocked' Axel Tuanzebe in training

It remains to be seen whether Shaw’s place in the starting line-up is permanent but his presence is a positive for Man United and England.

Made the most expensive teenager when United signed him for £30m in 2014, there are youngsters in the squad that look up to Shaw.

Including 20-year-old Axel Tuanzebe, who revealed that he was “shocked” by what happened when he went up against Shaw in his first ever training session with the senior team.

“You don't forget the first time you train with the first team," Tuanzebe told Inside United. "It was me, Marcus Rashford and Devonte Redmond, and we went up to training. It was one of the hardest sessions I've had in my life.


“We were a position team, the first team against us. It was so hard, it was so fast, it was physically on another level.


"I remember vividly that Luke Shaw was absolutely rapid. It shocked me that I couldn't get near him. He was an absolute bullet, just amazing.

“From that moment, I had him as a benchmark for myself, in terms of how sharp he is.

“After that session, we had seen what we had to get to. Once we'd had a taste of it, then we all wanted more and more."

Tuanzebe came off the bench against Everton and will hope for more opportunities under Mourinho in the future.