Manchester United defender Luke Shaw has called the environment at the club “quite toxic” and “not healthy at all”, but is backing head coach Ruben Amorim to be the one to fix it.
Shaw admitted the atmosphere has been “extremely negative” for much of the time since he joined the club 11 years ago. Several managers have come and gone, all eventually falling short of being able to permanently restore the glory days that have been on hold since 2013.
Amorim took a hardline stance when he first arrived in November, quickly exiling Marcus Rashford over what he saw as poor application in training. Alejandro Garnacho has since also fallen foul of the Portuguese following a public outburst after he didn’t start the Europa League final in May.
“It’s not hard to see from the outside what it’s been like. A lot of the time I’ve been here over the last few years it’s been extremely negative,” Shaw told reporters in Chicago.
“It can be quite toxic, the environment, it’s not healthy at all. We need an environment that’s healthy, that’s positive, that’s got good energy and happiness. When you have all those things, you feel free and you express yourself more.”
Shaw noted that Amorim refuses to accept anyone not giving everything at all times and the left back, the club’s longest serving player, said it is also down to senior members of the squad to not stand for slacking. No one should be immune from that and individual status means nothing.
“Ruben brings demands. Mentality is a big thing. He talks a lot about it. He demands 100% and doesn’t want anything less. If someone’s doing 85-90%, it’s not enough. I think, especially this year, if you’re not doing the right things, you won’t play,” Shaw explained.
“The more experienced ones need to be demanding more. The levels in training, keeping to the times of when we’re doing this or that, making sure no one is coming late. The manager is not bothered. He doesn’t care who players are. That’s how it should be. Whatever he wants, as players, we have to be delivering, and we are fully behind that.”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Luke Shaw Backs Ruben Amorim to Break ‘Toxic’ Man Utd Culture.