Luke Shaw
Luke Shaw feels he is back to his best at Manchester United Getty

Luke Shaw has revealed he feels much better in himself this season, compared to his struggles last year where he struggled with fitness and was unable to recreate his Southampton form. The 20 year old joined the Old Trafford outfit in 2014 but was in and out of the team in his debut campaign due to injuries and form.

The England international was purchased for a record £30m ($46m), making the costliest teenage in world football at the time, a claim since surpassed by Anthony Martial who signed this summer. Shaw has taken major steps to keep his body up to speed this summer, taking a fitness coach with him on holiday and training hard before pre-season.

The defender admitted he did not feel at his best last season, which had significant repercussions on his long-term confidence. "Obviously last season was very difficult for me," Shaw told Sky Sports. "I just feel fresh and fit and hopefully I can get a run of games now and keep my performances up.

"I trained before I went back to pre-season. That was a massive help to me and now I just want to keep on playing well. It was made hard with the injuries that I picked up. I didn't expect that to happen as much as it did.

"I think that is what knocked my confidence down, I never got fully fit, so whenever I was playing, I wasn't at my best and I didn't feel at my best. Now I am playing and I feel great. To be honest I feel better than I did at Southampton. Game by game, I feel like I'm getting stronger, especially in training. I just want to keep it up now and pray there are no injuries," he added.

The Red Devils will be hoping that Shaw keeps up his form and help them secure a place in the top four. United resume t their Premier League campaign after the international break against Liverpool, who they host at Old Trafford on 12 September.