Manchester United’s Luke Shaw looks dejected as he walks past the trophy following the UEFA Europa League Final
Manchester United’s Luke Shaw looks dejected as he walks past the trophy following the UEFA Europa League Final
Luke Shaw says the whole squad need to consider whether they are good enough to play for Manchester United as the long-serving defender apologised to fans for a miserable end to their wretched season.
The Red Devils’ worst top-flight season since relegation in 1973-74 was compounded by a 1-0 defeat in Wednesday’s all-or-nothing Europa League final against Tottenham in Bilbao.
Shaw was involved as Brennan Johnson scored what proved to be the deciding goal as Spurs, who sit 17th in the Premier League, inflicted a first Europa League loss of the campaign on 16th-placed United.
Asked to sum things up after the worst possible end to a horrible season, the England international said: “I think how you just said it.
“It’s hard to put into words the season, but I think for a club like Manchester United, it’s not really good enough.
“I think definitely me and I think all of us have to question ourselves tonight. Are we good enough to be here? Because this club, this season, it’s not acceptable.
“We know that and it’s down to us. So, like I said, I think it’s really tough to take.
“It’s hard to say anything else really apart from what I’ve just said. I think we have to look at ourselves. Something has to change.”
Shaw has tasted many lows and played under a variety of managers since joining United from Southampton in 2014, with mentality often cropping up as key to their issues.
But the England international remains convinced that head coach Ruben Amorim is the right man to turn things around.
“I think a lot of it has to do with mindset,” Shaw said. “I think self-belief is a big thing in football.
“I think a lot of times this season we’ve gone into games not believing that we can win. I think there’s a lot of things that need to be changed. I think that’s why Ruben is 100 per cent the right person.
“He knows and he can see day in and day out at the club, not just on the pitch but off the pitch, around the club.
“The standards, the mindset… like I said, I think he sees everything. I think he knows what he needs to change.
“I think, of course, you can’t change everything at once. Of course I think the results have not been good at all.
“But I think ultimately it’s us as players that step onto that pitch. It’s us as players that need to take the responsibility of these results.
“Like I said, it’s not good enough for a club like this. I think this club should be at the top of the Premier League, fighting for big trophies. At the moment, it’s hard to say, but we’re nowhere near that.”