Manchester United star Luke Shaw set to step in for Ashley Young injury absence

Manchester United full-back Luke Shaw hopes to finally establish himself in Louis van Gaal's line-up after making his first start since returning to action in the New Year's Day draw with Stoke City.

The 19-year-old arrived at van Gaal's side earlier in the summer for around £27m after garnering a reputation as one of the most promising prospects in the Premier League during his time at Southampton.

However, the English international has struggled to make the impact expected so far at Old Trafford after suffering a couple of injuries during the first part of the campaign – and has only managed to start eight games.

After playing an hour at Stoke before being replaced by Adnan Januzaj, he now targets more regular participation in the team.

"I need game time now. I had [around] 60 minutes against Stoke and that was pre-planned. If I had been able to go on longer then I would have done, but I think the main thing for me now is to get a run of games together.

"It was a great feeling watching the team do well [in my absence]. We always want to win the games and now I am back fit I want to be a part of the winning run."

Nevertheless, after Ashley Young was forced to be replaced by Rafael at the Britannia Stadium due to a hamstring injury, Shaw may take advantage of the situation to re-establish himself in the XI.

"There's massive competition for me. I think it's a big credit to Ashley Young. He has been superb, one of our best players for the last four or five matches. It's just unfortunate for him that's he got this injury now. I hope it's not too bad. I hope he comes fighting back again."