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Luke Shaw and Jose Mourinho were left unimpressed by each other when they met just over two years ago to discuss a possible transfer to Chelsea. Shaw could have been forgiven for feeling nervous when he reunited with his new manager at Carrington last month but, judging by the left-back's pre-season progress, the pair have hit it off at the second time of asking.

Shaw had to be United's undisputed first-choice left-back. The erratic Marcos Rojo might not be a United player this time next month and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson is injured, so Shaw had a free run at a role he made his own on pre-season in the United States last year. And run Shaw has.

Amid United's mundane, tepid and, at times, ramshackle preparations over the last month, Shaw has shone. He does not resemble a player recovering from injury and that double leg break he suffered in Eindhoven almost a year ago has not compromised his pace or purpose. If anything, it has intensified it. Even against Dortmund in Shanghai, Shaw was one of a handful of United performers who emerged from the humid hammering with any credit. Shaw's running was so intense his drenched shirt suggested he had come off a water ride rather than a football pitch.

During Wayne Rooney's tedious testimonial, Shaw was one of the few players to bring fans to the edge of their seats. His deflected shot was the highlight of a forgettable first-half but it was what preceded it which delighted United fans: pace. United lacked it without Shaw last season and, while he does not have the attacking instincts another left-footed Southampton scholar, Gareth Bale, had during his development Shaw's surges could see him converted into a wing-back, if not a winger.

Mourinho has prioritised the United spine with his signings but Shaw's class demands the defence should be built around him. It is an unusual concept but full-backs have become so essential to the most vibrant sides' attacks in recent years and Shaw's potential was obvious before he joined United.

United are a club associated with wing play and their wingers now are the full-backs. Whether it is Anthony Martial or Memphis on the left or Henrikh Mkhitaryan or Jesse Lingard on the right, they will not get chalk on their garish boots as they veer inside and look to dovetail with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Wayne Rooney. An out-and-out winger is still an invaluable option, especially with a striker as imposing as Ibrahimovic to cross for.

An option for Mourinho is to use an in-game back three, whereby the full-backs forage forward, the centre-backs split and a holding midfielder drops into the defensive third to distribute. Michael Carrick could be ideal for this, since it takes him away from the congestion of midfield and affords him the time to engineer attacks.

Alternatively, the role could help Morgan Schneiderlin to overcome his tentative approach. Barcelona adopted a similar tactic in their pomp under Pep Guardiola, who had Sergio Busquets drop deep to receive the ball from Victor Valdes, Gerard Pique or Carles Puyol.

Once Paul Pogba is announced as a United player, Mourinho will focus on selling. Pogba will take the senior squad up to 26 and there are still likely to be casualties from the set-up, ranging from reserves (Sam Johnstone) to Van Gaal duds (Rojo).

Mourinho wants to sign another defender, preferably a centre-back. Eric Bailly has started every game in pre-season and it is easy to see why Mourinho said there was a 'question mark' over his readiness.

Older and more distinguished defenders have initially struggled at United before Bailly. Gary Pallister was a part of the defence that shipped five at City in 1989, Jaap Stam suffered a culture shock, Rio Ferdinand was injured on his home debut and Nemanja Vidic was given a chasing by David Bentley at Blackburn. Phil Jones and Gabriel Heinze, signed as centre-backs, enjoyed breakneck starts but at full-back.

The last central defensive signing to settle in seamlessly at United was, perhaps, Henning Berg, who had spent years in the Premier League with Blackburn. United conceded one goal in Berg's first seven games back in 1997.

Should United bolster their defence with a new addition, whether it is Leonardo Bonucci or Axel Tuanzebe or somebody else, the newbie will take time. Mourinho could alleviate the pressure on them by giving the eager Shaw, a Premier League-proven defender, a bigger workload. Shaw has the energy and skill to be just as influential in attack as the incoming Pogba and possesses the age and ability to rival Denis Irwin for longevity on the wing.

He and Mourinho could really hit it off.