Luke Shaw believes that things need to ‘change quickly’ at Manchester United after a sequence of inconsistent performances. The Red Devils held onto a 0-0 draw against Liverpool on Sunday, with Erik ten Hag’s side failing to score for the third consecutive game.
Many expected United to be ruthlessly dispatched by the Reds, who racked up 34 shots on goal at Anfield – more than five times as many as the visitors. But a largely lifeless contest ended with neither side managing to get on the scoresheet, and although Diogo Dalot was controversially sent off in second-half stoppage time, United fans were broadly pleased to pick up a point.
Crippling inconsistency is still a major concern, however, with a win at home to Chelsea earlier this month followed up by consecutive defeats to Bournemouth and Bayern Munich.
Shaw, who has spent much of this campaign sidelined through injury, claims that the current situation is not acceptable.
Click here to join our WhatsApp community to be the first to receive breaking and exclusive Man Utd news.
“[Liverpool] had a few chances but more from set plays – not really too many from open play,” he told Betfred. “We can be happy with that but, of course, I think when we look back at the game now, for me especially, we could have won that game.
“That has to be the foundation now. Every game, whether it is at Anfield away or here [at Old Trafford], it always has to be the same and I think that is where we have been lacking, is the consistency.
“One game we are excellent, for example the game against Chelsea here – we played a really good game, then we go and let ourselves down by playing Bournemouth here and losing 3-0. It’s not acceptable, we can’t accept that and it’s something that needs to be addressed and changed very quickly because we can’t keep doing this.”
One of Ten Hag’s options for a drastic switch-up includes changing ownership of the captain’s armband. Bruno Fernandes is the current skipper, but he picked up a needless booking against Bournemouth which left him suspended for the Liverpool game, and some fans have been less than impressed with his general temperament.
The Portuguese was United’s de facto captain for much of last term, with Harry Maguire consigned to the bench for long spells. And Ten Hag made the change official ahead of the 2023/24 season.
Shaw, 28, would be one of the prime candidates to take over if the Red Devils commit to another reshuffle. The left-back has become a consistent performer and a senior member of the dressing room, with over 250 appearances for the club under his belt.
