Mourinho was right about my work rate, admits Shaw

Luke Shaw admits Jose Mourinho was right to say he could have been working harder at Manchester United.

United boss Mourinho heavily criticised the defender earlier this month, questioning his effort in training, commitment, focus and ambition which he deemed "a long way behind" his Old Trafford team-mates.

That came after Shaw, widely believed to have cost £30 million when signed from Southampton in 2014, had started only once in the Premier League since October.

Shaw, who was in the first XI for Sunday's 3-0 victory at Sunderland, concedes Mourinho had a point about his work rate but has vowed to prove the manager wrong over his desire to fight for a United future.

"I had a really good chat with him [after the criticism] and I totally agree with him - I will do whatever he wants," Shaw said to Sky Sports.

"I have always been a hard worker but maybe, if I look back, maybe I wasn't working as hard as he likes.

"We had a really good talk and he discussed what he wanted from me and even in a week and a half I have seen a massive change in myself, not just on the pitch but off it as well.

"Now it is my time to fight until the end of the season and show the boss what I can bring to help his team.

"At the end of my meeting with the manager I said, 'I'm going to prove you wrong'. I believe and want to do that, not just for myself but for the fans that have been behind me and supported me through this time."

Mourinho praised Shaw after his 61-minute outing at Sunderland and put his arm round the England international when he was replaced by Daley Blind.

"You could say I have turned the corner but I would say I'm at the start of turning the corner," he said.

"It was what I needed after what the manager had said over the last couple of weeks, although I took it positively.

"When he said 'good performance' when I came off the pitch it made me feel better as a person and more confident than I already was.

"It was very important for me to get those minutes, they were a good 60 minutes. I was disappointed not to have played the full 90 but the manager was positive with me and it was lovely to see.

"The criticism was very hard but I have had it before. This time around I dealt with it better.

"When I first came to United there was a lot of discussion about me and that was hard, it was something that was new to me. 

"I was used to positive feedback and comments in the media but coming to United everything changed, there was negativity.

"I took that badly and it knocked me down a bit but this time I have come back wanting to fight and I want to prove everyone wrong.

"I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I want to push for the best from me."

United are at home to Premier League leaders Chelsea on Sunday.