Luke Shaw has admitted that he was of unaware "how big" Manchester United were as a club around the world until he went on the club's pre-season tour.

The England international signed for the Red Devils in a reported £30m fee from Southampton last summer, but has had an inconsistent period in the team due to injuries.

Before the season began under manager Louis van Gaal, Shaw and his new teammates flew to the United States to play in Los Angeles, Denver, Washington, Detroit and Miami.

In an interview with The Guardian, Shaw said: "You don't actually know how big it is until you sign for it - around the whole world, the fan base and everything.

"The teams we played as well - it was sort of weird playing the likes of Real Madrid and Inter [Milan] and still being 18. It was very nice to be playing against [Cristiano] Ronaldo and Gareth Bale. That tour helped me a lot."

United are currently fourth in the Premier League table.