After five games unbeaten, Man Utd crashed back down to earth with a 0-1 loss to ten-man Everton that sends Ruben Amorim back to the drawing board.
When a team loses 0-1 to an opposition that played with a man down for nearly 70 minutes, it’s not hard to pick out who underperformed, because the answer is everybody.
On days like this, it is easy to say the players didn’t have enough intensity, which Ruben Amorim did say, but he can’t escape the fact that he’s making some poor decisions.
The biggest one is sticking with a player called “a waste of time” by Gary Neville during the loss to Everton, despite having a replacement who has deserved more minutes.
Matthijs de Ligt and Luke Shaw of Manchester United during the Premier League match between Manchester United and Everton at Old Trafford on November 24, 2025
Photo by Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Offside via Getty Images
Ruben Amorim witnessed Luke Shaw’s embarrassing display
Luke Shaw has been ever-present for Man Utd this season, for good or bad, and it’s not a surprise because it’s a World Cup year.
Shaw has been Amorim’s first-choice left centre-back, but there is a difference between being the first choice and being the only choice.
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Amorim has refused to rotate the team’s underperforming players, and that trait is personified by Shaw, who somehow played the full 90 again despite playing poorly.
Gary Neville tore into Shaw repeatedly during the game, faulting his lack of effort and running, and it wasn’t a coincidence that United’s left side looked toothless.
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It’s not the first time Shaw has come under the scanner this season for his poor performances, and yet, Amorim keeps playing him.
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It would be excusable if he had no worthy replacements, like how quickly he brought Chido Obi back down to earth.
However, when his replacement has shone in limited minutes and has incredible long-term upside, Amorim deserves some flak for sticking stubbornly with Shaw.
Ayden Heaven must be wondering what he’s doing wrong
When Shaw expectedly spent time on the injury table last season, it was Ayden Heaven who stepped up out of nowhere and established himself as a genuine first-team quality player.
His slick style of play, combined with combativeness and traditional defensive excellence, made him the perfect left-footed centre-back for that left side.
This season, he has played just 28 minutes in the league and 92 minutes across all competitions as Shaw continues to underwhelm.
It’s notable that even in such a limited time, Heaven has managed to make a mark, assisting one goal and showing the kind of progressive passing needed from the wide centre-backs.
Amorim has repeatedly said minutes are earned on merit at Old Trafford, but it’s getting pretty clear that he will keep young players out of the team and rely on the experience of the older players as a crutch, even when it is not working.
If minutes were earned on merit, players like Diogo Dalot, Luke Shaw, Manuel Ugarte, and Bruno Fernandes wouldn’t be ever-present this season.