Manchester United defender Harry Maguire has launched a passionate defence of teammate Luke Shaw after the fullback was subject to scathing criticism from pundits last week.
“Getting away with murder”
Shaw, 30, faced a wave of negativity after his performance in the Manchester Derby as United fell to a disappointing 3-0 loss to their local rivals.
The English fullback, deployed as a centre-back in Amorim’s back three, was at fault for two of City’s goals and offered nothing in possession – normally a strength for the technically gifted star.
In his post-match analysis, Roy Keane was brutal in his assessment of Shaw, stating the defender had been “getting away with murder for years”.
But Shaw was measured in his response to the United legend, revealing he thought Keane was “right” to criticise him.
“I think sometimes you just have to take it on the chin. He’s got a lot of experience. He was one of the best captains ever for Man United. Of course it hurts. I think criticism is part of being a football player. I listen to it. But for me, I think he was right. I think that last week, I wasn’t at my level at all.
“I don’t need Roy Keane to tell me. I think after the game, I knew that. I knew that, but of course it hurts. I’m not getting any younger now and I need to be consistent. I’ve had a lot of ups and downs, but for me now, it’s about keeping that consistency at a high level. I know I can do that.”
Ruben Amorim – who called Shaw “world-class” in the summer and has started him at LCB in every Premier League match this season – kept his faith in the Englishman for the pivotal clash with Chelsea on the weekend.
And Shaw rewarded his coach with a superb performance, playing a crucial role in United’s second goal as the Red Devils ran out 2-1 winners.
“An Excellent Player”
Maguire, 32, has mirrored Amorim’s assessment, stating Shaw is an “excellent player” in an interview on the club website after the centre-back marked his 250th game in a red shirt.
“You don’t play at this club 250 or 300 times if you’re first and foremost not a good player,” Maguire explains. “Luke’s an excellent footballer, and every manager that comes in, he gets questioned a lot. That’s what happens at this club.
“Every manager that comes in plays Luke, and there’s a reason why they play Luke, because he’s an excellent footballer, always has been and always will be.”
As Shaw closes in on his 300th appearance for United, it’s striking that the club and his teammate chose to reference the defender in an interview about Maguire’s own milestone.
But it speaks to the unity the dressing room are seeking to maintain in the face of unrelenting criticism and noise from outside Old Trafford.
Featured image Alex Pantling via Getty Images
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Darragh Fox
Darragh is a writer for The Peoples Person who spent three years as a history graduate slowly realising football was by far the most interesting thing to write about.
