Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw has revealed that he has held talks with Erik ten Hag regarding the reasons behind his axe from the starting lineup.
The 27-year-old started both of United's opening two Premier League games of the new season, but since he was taken off at half time in the disappointing 4-0 defeat at Brentford last month, the Englishman has not played a single minute in the top flight.
Along with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Maguire, Shaw has had to settle for a place on the substitutes' bench under Ten Hag, with summer signing Tyrell Malacia preferred ahead of him at left-back.
Shaw's lack of football at club level did not hinder his chances of an international call-up, however, as he was controversially named in Gareth Southgate's 28-man squad for their final two UEFA Nations League games against Italy and Germany.
The former Southampton youngster came off the bench for the final 20 minutes against Italy, before he started and scored England's first goal in a thrilling 3-3 draw with Germany at Wembley Stadium on Monday.
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Shaw is hoping to improve his form at club level and win over Ten Hag in United colours as he bids to retain his place in Southgate's squad for the World Cup in Qatar later this year.
Speaking to talkSPORT about his ambitions to gain regular minutes with the Red Devils, Shaw said: "It's what everyone wants. I think Ten Hag, the boss, he knows my qualities, he knows what I'm capable of and we've had chats.
"It's understandable that, and I even agree, the start of the season wasn't good enough and he had to make changes and I fully accept that, I accepted it.
"The only thing I can do is train hard and wait for my opportunities, whether that's in the cup games or the Premier League, whatever I play in I just have to be ready and play at the standard I should be at."
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England concluded their UEFA Nations League campaign without a win from their six League A Group 3 matches, and have subsequently been relegated to the second tier.
With Southgate coming under fire for England's poor run of form, Shaw has defended his national team manager ahead of the World Cup, and believes that the criticism against him is unfair considering the success he has had with the Three Lions in the last two major tournaments.
"You look at the results of the last two major tournaments and it's bizarre how people can attack him and say it's not good enough," Shaw added.
"At the moment we haven't won, we have to win a major tournament to be extremely successful, but we're heading in the right direction and he's guiding us in the right direction.
"From when he first came in, you've seen the difference in the England team to where we are now but of course the results recently haven't been good enough and we'll be ready in the World Cup."
With Man United playing six times before Southgate announces his 26-man World Cup squad on October 20, Shaw will be hoping to force his way into Ten Hag's starting lineup quickly, with an encounter against rivals Manchester City up next in the Premier League on Sunday.
Oliver Thomas
