It's been a curious few weeks for Manchester United defender Luke Shaw. A cap for England and just a second Premier League appearance since October last week were juxtaposed by Jose Mourinho questioning the left-back's commitment and bizarrely describing his impressive cameo outing from the bench against Everton as 'his body with my brain'.

On the surface, the weekend fared significantly better for the under-fire full-back, producing an impressive attacking display against Sunderland - presumably off the back of his own mind power rather than the micromanaging direction of his overly critical manager.

Indeed, as our infographic shows, Shaw played an important role in United's 3-0 victory over the relegation-bound Black Cats, producing the most created chances and accurate crosses, five and two respectively, of any player on the pitch. That includes the driven pass into the box that allowed Henrikh Mkhitaryan to double United's lead early in the second half.

Once again, however, Shaw's impressive performance could turn out to be a bitter-sweet scenario for the 21-year-old. Mirror Football reported last Friday that United want Mourinho to give Shaw more game-time to window shop him ahead of the summer transfer window and recoup the club's original £30million investment - and it goes without saying that rock-bottom Sunderland are the perfect side to do that against.

Potential suitors will undoubtedly have been watching as he controlled the left flank at the Stadium of Light so, somewhat paradoxically, Shaw's formidable showing against Sunderland may well have just taken him a step closer to leaving Old Trafford. Most United fans, however, will be hoping it convinced Mourinho to change his mind on the youngster.

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