Luke Shaw has told Sky Sports that he wants to prove Jose Mourinho wrong after the Manchester United manager questioned his commitment and said he was a long way behind his teammates.
Shaw has since fought his way back into Mourinho's plans and he is determined to learn from the criticism and use it in a positive way in order to help United finish the season well.
"The criticism was very hard but I've had it before," Shaw said. "But 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've come back wanting to fight and I want to prove everyone wrong.
"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.
"I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I want to push for the best from me.
"I wished the season wasn't coming to an end, I wish it was the start, because I want to play games and games and hopefully I can keep giving good performances and keep my spot in the team and push for the Europa League and top four."
Shaw returned to United's starting lineup for the 3-0 Premier League victory against Sunderland on Sunday and although he only played an hour before being substituted he is confident that he is making good progress and is happy with Mourinho's management of him.
"I had a really good chat with him [after the criticism] and I totally agree with him -- I will do whatever he wants," Shaw added. "I've 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've seen a massive change in myself, not just on the pitch but off it as well.
"Now it's my time to fight until the end of the season and show the boss what I can bring to help his team."