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Luke Shaw has won the battle to convince Louis van Gaal he can be United’s left back and the Manchester United boss is predicting a big season for the England player .

Twelve months ago on the Reds’ 2014 tour of America the newly installed Old Trafford manager was typically blunt and honest in his assessment of his £27m buy from Southampton.

Van Gaal claimed that the 19-year-old who had been with England’s squad at the World Cup was not fit enough for the role he had planned for him at United.

Shaw was immediately put on a personal fitness and training programme for him to be able to meet the Dutchman’s demands.

However, the teenager’s debut campaign at United was riddled with hamstring problems that reduced his season to 20 appearances.

In pictures: United versus Barcelona

But Shaw, who celebrated his 20th birthday the day before the Reds flew out here to the USA for their pre-season tour now has Van Gaal’s full backing to tackle the number three job and prove a long term replacement for Patrice Evra.

“Luke Shaw is a big talent,” says Van Gaal.

“He’s very young so it’s not so easy for him to come from Southampton to as big a club as Manchester United. But he has the benefit that he’s an Englishman. (Memphis) Depay is a Dutchman and it’s a different culture, a different rhythm to the game.

“So I think that it shall be the season of Luke Shaw, that I believe. I believe in him and he has to feel that and I hope he shall show it.

“But he’s 20-years-old. How many players of that age are playing in the Premier League?”

Clearly Shaw has worked out how to become a Van Gaal player and buy into the Dutchman’s philosophy in order to build his Old Trafford career.

So just what is it that makes up a ‘Van Gaal’ player.

“He has to know what he’s doing as a player as a team player and when you are a Louis van Gaal player then you don’t know only your function in your position but also the other functions in their positions and then you can help each other much more,” says Louis.

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“Then you are improving always the team. That’s why you have to improve your vision not only in your position but you also have to know what the team needs. When you have seen our game against Barcelona the pressing and how they expect where the pass is coming that’s fantastic to see.”

It appears that Shaw gets it whereas club record buy Angel di Maria, who is set for a move to Paris St Germain after just 12 months as a United player, just didn’t gel with the Dutchman’s philosophy.