It was about three weeks ago, during a break from a punishing exercise routine under the unforgiving Dubai sun, that Luke Shaw received what may turn out to be one of the most important text messages of his career.

The message in question was from José Mourinho, the Manchester United manager. Mourinho and Shaw have rarely seen eye to eye during their two-year spell working together.

There are a few members of the Old Trafford dressing room who believe that some of the damning statements that Mourinho has made about Shaw in his press conferences over the past two years have been tantamount to bullying. This message, however, showed Mourinho in a different light. The text read: “I know what you can do. You can