The England left-back returned to the starting line-up against Aston Villa and made a fine start in Perth, capped by supplying the assist for the opening goal by Jadon Sancho.
Latching onto Marcus Rashford's perfectly timed pass, the overlapping defender picked out Sancho at the back post, who volleyed in an under-rated finish.
Shaw certainly put himself about in testing conditions on a tacky pitch at the Optus Stadium, making one excellent strong, but fair, challenge on Villa striker Danny Ings.
With Tyrell Malacia signed from Feyenoord to compete for the spot in the team, along with Alex Telles, Thornley told MUTV that it will help bring the best out of Luke, who will hope to feature in the World Cup later this year for his country.