Manchester United: Louis van Gaal has dubbed the upcoming campaign 'the season of Luke Shaw'

Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has piled the pressure on defender Luke Shaw by dubbing the upcoming campaign 'the season of Luke Shaw'.

The young Englishman had a difficult first season with the Red Devils after his high profile move from Southampton. He struggled with a lack of fitness and form during the entire 2014/15 campaign, which saw the Dutch manager drop him from the squad and play compatriot Daley Blind at left-back, despite his primary role being that of a midfielder.

The former Barcelona manager also criticised the England international for being unfit during the course of the season, which prompted Shaw to take one of United's fitness coaches on holiday with him to Dubai.

The 20-year-old left-back has come back fitter and has been impressive during the 20-time English champions' friendly matches against Barcelona, San Jose Earthquakes and Club Americas on their pre-season tour of the United States.

This has prompted the manager to suggest that he could finally show his true potential in a United shirt, while insisting that he needs to be given time to develop, as he's just out of his teens.

"Luke Shaw is a big talent. He's very young so it's not so easy for him to come from Southampton to as big a club as Manchester United," Van Gaal said, as quoted by the Guardian.

"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?" the former Bayern Munich and Barcelona manager added.