Luke Shaw fires back at Roy Keane after City defeat criticism

Luke Shaw has hit back at Roy Keane after the Manchester United captain-turned-pundit questioned his display in the 3-0 loss to Manchester City, saying the criticism hurt but that he does not need the former United captain to tell him when he is playing below his best. Keane singled out Shaw following United's derby defeat at the Etihad last weekend, accusing him of giving up and throwing in the towel when Jeremy Doku beat him to set up Phil Foden's opener. The England defender was also partly at fault when Erling Haaland scored City’s second and third goals, and Keane said: I think Shaw has been getting away with murder for years at United. Always injured, never quite fit and we make excuses for him. Then he gets a few games under his belt and he’s making decisions like he doesn’t want to tackle people.

Asked about Keane's comments after United's comeback win over Chelsea, Shaw said: Of course it hurts. He's got a lot of experience. He was one of the best captains ever for Man United. Sometimes you just have to take it on the chin. 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. After the game, I knew that. The most important thing is knowing how good I can be. The manager knows that. I think the managers who I played with in the past know that. I'm always in the team and I'm always playing, so there must be something that the managers believe in.

United bounced back to beat Chelsea 2-1 at Old Trafford, in a match that featured fireworks before halftime as both sides were reduced to 10 men — goalkeeper Robert Sanchez and Casemiro were sent off. Ruben Amorim’s side went two goals ahead but were hanging on at the end in wind and rain. Shaw said the result underscored the squad's growing resilience and mentality: In the second half, we were just thinking about surviving and doing everything we can to win the game. We knew how important it was to win. That's the mentality where we're at right now. That's what we want to do week in, week out. It’s about how we react to not winning games. Sometimes in the past, that's really been the hard bit: how we react and return to the next game. We’ve maintained that low energy in games after that. I felt like today we were going to win. That's how we have to feel every game. We have to feel like we're going to go into the game and win.

Shaw also reflected on his long tenure at United and the ups and downs of his career, saying consistency and results matter most for morale around the club. I’ve been here a long time now. I’ve seen it all and I feel like results are the most important thing. They bring happiness and confidence, especially in the dressing-room and around the training ground. It always helps. That's what we want to do week in, week out.