Luke Shaw has responded to Roy Keane after being the target of his furious rant following the Manchester Derby.
United fell to a humiliating 3-0 defeat at the Etihad last week. Shaw struggled to mark the prolific Man City striker Erling Haaland, who scored a brace in the second half.
Speaking at full-time, Keane said Shaw had been ‘getting away with murder for years’, referring to his poor injury record and inconsistent form.
“[He is] always injured, never quite fit and we make excuses for him,” said the former Ireland international.
“Then he gets a few games under his belt and he’s making decisions like he doesn’t want to tackle people.”
But Shaw was much improved as United beat Chelsea on Saturday. He completed 90 minutes and produced a composed defensive performance as the Red Devils battled to a dramatic 2-1 win.
Speaking after the match, he said Keane was entitled to his opinion and acknowledged that he was correct in some of his critique.
"Sometimes you just have to take it on the chin," Shaw told the Manchester Evening News.
"He’s got a lot of experience, he was one of the best captains ever for Manchester United and, of course, it hurts.
“But for me criticism is part of being a football player. I listen to it but I think he was right.”
He continued, admitting that he was not at his best against City: "Last week, I wasn’t at my level at all, and I don’t need Roy Keane to tell me. After the game, I knew that.
“But of course it hurts. The most important thing is knowing how good I can be and I think the manager knows that and the managers who I played under in the past know that.”
Shaw, now 30, continues to back himself to keep playing at a high level into the latter stages of his career.
"I’m always in the team, I’m always playing, so there must be something, the managers must believe in me.
“I’m not getting any younger and I need to be consistent. I’ve had lots of ups and downs and it’s about keeping that consistently high level because I know I can do that."
"And that’s why last week hurt me a lot because I know that’s not my level and I think the criticism is completely understandable. I take it on the chin and listen to it and I move on."
