Gary Neville has slammed Luke Shaw’s lack of intensity as Manchester United faltered further under head coach Reuben Amorim after losing 1-0 to 10-man Everton.
The 30-year-old, who played as a left-sided centre-back in manager Ruben Amorim’s back three, was thrust into the role as a “wobbly” forward as Manchester United tried and failed to recover from a goal conceded.
Were the Sky Sports pundits’ criticisms justified? Or is Amorim’s system a bigger problem? The loss raised further questions about his commitment to playing three at the back.
Did the injury really damage the show?
Shaw is one of four Manchester United players to have started every Premier League game this season, along with Matthijs de Ligt, Bruno Fernandes and Brian Mbeumo. It was a rare period for a player plagued by fitness issues.
Last season, he made just one 90-minute appearance in the Premier League, and only seven times in the campaign before that. You have to go back to the 2022/23 season for the last time he was able to feature consistently for a full season.
Staying healthy proved to be a big challenge for Shaw.
He was once a phenomenal full-back with the energy to move between the two boxes, but his physicality is not what it used to be. The lack of intensity against Everton frustrated Neville with Manchester United down against 10 men and in need of goals.
“Behind the ball we have Shaw, (Lennie) Yolo and (Matthejs) de Ligt,” he said in co-commentary. “Shaw is coming further forward, but he’s limping forward. Let me be clear: He’s been bothering me for the last 20 minutes. He’s wandering. He can’t do that.”
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Speaking on the Gary Neville Podcast, the former Man United full-back said his former team’s defeat against Everton was “embarrassing”
“He’s supposed to be running forward every time. I don’t care. Yoro, I have a little more sympathy for the show, but? It’s a waste of time. I don’t care. I’m not fooling anyone. I just don’t feel it.”
Shaw’s decline in physical strength can be seen in the numbers. There is a caveat that under Amorim, he has been used as a centre-back rather than a full-back, in a role that doesn’t require him to run much, but his poor performance in many areas predates his appointment as head coach.
Shaw’s number of sprints and distance covered per 90 minutes are decreasing, and his attacking power is also decreasing.
Shaw has steadily contributed to the number of crosses, goal involvements and chances created over the past five seasons.
Why the show encapsulates Amorim’s inflexibility
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After Manchester United lost 1-0 to Everton, leaving the Toffees down to 10 men after just 13 minutes, Jamie Carragher told MNF he believed Ruben Amorim was to blame.
Despite the show’s limitations, Amorim’s system once again came under intense scrutiny.
Still in a weak spot, coach Amorim made changes in an effort to get back into the game, bringing on Diogo Dalot for Patrick Dorg and Koby Mainu for Casemiro. They were more or less the same substitutions as the United manager stuck to a back three system for the full 90 minutes, leaving Shaw, De Ligt and Yoro on the pitch.
This irritated many Manchester United fans, especially by having the right-handed Dalot play in front of Shaw, which ultimately meant that the two would get in the way on Manchester United’s left flank.
“We have to have a sense of urgency to make the pitch as big as possible and get as many players in the forward areas as possible,” Neville said.
Man United struggled early on despite 10-man Everton taking the lead, leaving United lacking focus in their quest for an equaliser.
“Reuben Amorim has questions to answer,” he added.
“Do you bring Dalot before the show? I don’t understand. Why when there are five people behind me? It’s embarrassing.”
“It’s supposed to be like the Alamo, really quick, high-tempo, passing from side to side, getting into wide areas, putting in crosses, getting bodies into the attack, sustaining the attack. United’s is very slow. They don’t have any presence in the box.”
Once again, Amorim’s insistence on a 3-4-3 formation and reluctance to change mid-match proved costly for United. His insistence on playing with a back three is seen as a flaw, especially when it comes to chasing games.
Questions will again be asked about Amorim and his flexibility. It’s hard to understand why he kept three central defenders on the pitch and didn’t bring in an extra attacker, although Everton’s apparent lack of focus in the absence of injured Benjamin Sesco and Matheus Cunha was also highlighted by Jamie Carragher after the Monday Night Football match.
“I feel like Ruben Amorim is the first manager I’ve ever seen that sticks to a system rather than an idea of how to play,” Carragher said. “The formation feels like his baby and I don’t understand how he can be so stubborn about it and not change it in certain situations like that (against Everton).
“If you have to stick to this system, you have to have the ball a lot so you should put your midfielders in defence, which I have seen managers do in the past.
“It’s not about losing the three points against Everton. I think it’s one of those moments where people really question the manager. He’s going to take a lot of responsibility.”
Manchester United’s underperforming wing-back
Amorim still has Lisandro Martinez expected to return from injury. The Argentina international is likely to return to a left-sided centre-back role, but Shaw doesn’t seem suited to play at wing-back, with Amorim’s other options also underperforming.
At Sporting, his wing-backs were essential attacking tools to make his system work. In his last full season in charge in 2023/24, the three most frequently used wing-backs – Nuno Santos, Jenny Katamo and Ricardo Essallo – scored a total of 26 goals or assists in league play alone.
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Bad performance or bad tactics? Charlie Austin and Jamie O’Hara debate who should take responsibility for Manchester United’s defeat to Everton
Manchester United’s Amorim wing-back has contributed half the goals or assists in the same number of league games.
Of the 13 goals and assists, 9 goals, about 70 per cent, were attributed to Amad Diallo, with the other players used in this position being Dorg, Daro, Nousser Mazraoui, Harry Amas and Tyrell Malasia, who have scored just 4 goals between them in a total of 67 starts at wing-back.
Amorim’s wing-back struggles raise further questions about his commitment to the system. If they aren’t contributing offensively, what do they actually bring?
This is just one of many questions for the much-criticized head coach, who could add Shaw’s decline to his growing list of problems.
