Luke Shaw explains why ‘extremely tough’ Ruben Amorim was RIGHT to axe five Man Utd stars

Ruben Amorim is putting his Manchester United players through their paces in Chicago – and Luke Shaw has explained the manager’s uncompromising approach on the training ground

Luke Shaw says Ruben Amorim’s hardline approach on his players is what is needed to take Manchester United back to the top.

United ended last season in 15th place in the Premier League, their lowest finish for 51 years, and missed out on Europe after losing the Europa League final. Amorim has made it his mission to restore high standards on and off the pitch at United and axed a group of players from the US tour to underline his uncompromising approach.

Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho, Antony and Tyrell Malacia were all left off the US tour, while Marcus Rashford has gone on loan to Barcelona.

Defender Shaw said ruthless Amorim’s refusal to compromise on his high standards is what United need if they are to have any hope of getting back to competing for major trophies. “He’s extremely tough on the group,” said Shaw. “Everyone has to put the team first. He’s made that very clear.

READ MORE: Transfer news LIVE: Liverpool clear way for Isak, Watkins keen on Man Utd, Chelsea eye two dealsREAD MORE: Ruben Amorim identifies next two Man Utd transfers as soon as he signs new striker

“There are no stragglers in this group anymore. Us players, especially the more experienced ones, need to be demanding more from a day-in, day-out basis.

“The levels in training, keeping the times of when we’re doing this and doing that, making sure no one’s coming late or anything. We all need to up the level of demands. What Ruben definitely brings in is the demands, especially the mentality.

“The mentality is a big thing. He talks a lot about it. Ruben demands 100 per cent and he doesn’t want anything less. If someone’s doing 85 to 90 per cent, it’s not enough for him. Especially this year, if you’re not doing the right things, I feel like you won’t play.

“You’ve seen what he’s done in the past eight months with different players. He doesn’t care who the player is. If he’s not following what he wants, then that’s how it should be, and rightly so.”

Shaw, currently United’s longest-serving player, has worked with five permanent managers in 11 years and admitted the atmosphere within the squad has been toxic at times.

“It’s not hard to see from the outside what it’s been like,” said Shaw. “A lot of the time I’ve been here over the last few years it’s been extremely negative. 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 can express yourself more on the pitch. Things come together and, especially this pre-season, I feel like us as a team, I feel the bond is growing.

“I feel like, in my time here, it’s probably the closest I’ve felt with the squad. Hopefully, that can continue.”

Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.