Reports around the future of Manchester United defender Luke Shaw have continued to swirl even after the closing of the January transfer window, and we thought we’d all escaped the madness for a little while.

The exciting left-back, tipped for the very top when he made the move to Old Trafford, was in scintillating form in the early stages of last season before suffering a horrific leg break and being ruled out for the entire campaign.

Returning from such an injury and finding that same level once again is never easy, something which is made even harder when you’re a Manchester United player under the guise of Jose Mourinho.

The Portuguese has been undertaking a ruthless assessment and overhaul of his squad this season, with Memphis Depay, Morgan Schneiderlin, Bastian Schweinsteiger and, most recently, Anthony Martial all victims of his cuts.

The former Chelsea manager has, at times this season, been highly critical of his players and, more specifically, his defence.

Shaw, who arrived from Southampton in 2014 for a then record fee for a teenager (£30m), was very publically called out by the manager after their humbling defeat at Watford and, since then, has found a spot in the first team hard to come by.

The England international proved, both at Southampton and in his early Red Devils career, that he has got what it takes to be one of the best in the Premier League. However, in his current situation it is hard to see.

The 21-year-old was back at St. Mary’s recently to watch his old side beat champions Leicester City 3-0 and, in all honesty, it is hard to see Shaw in his current state getting in the side he watched over the ever-impressive Ryan Bertrand.

The full-back will be desperate to work his way back into the United fold ahead of their EFL Cup final with the Saints at the end of the month.

Should he manage to work his way back into the side, Shaw can still undoubtedly be the player all fans expected to be in years to come. Whilst Mourinho is a very hard man to impress, Shaw must give him no reason to drop him and the former Real Madrid boss will have some player on his hands.

The strength and pace the Saints academy graduate possesses is remarkable for a player of his age, there are not many that can cope with him going forward in the division. His power and speed are also complemented by outstanding vision in the final third and a fantastic ability to pick the right ball in for the likes of Ibrahimovic to lap up.

The youngster, however, can be very much a streak player. Mourinho must, if he has any intention of keeping the youngster give him the time in the side that he needs because, if he doesn’t there are plenty of other Premier League bosses who will.

Given a decent run in the side and it won’t be long before we see Shaw bombing up and down that left side at Old Trafford just as he was before his injury.