Neville: I´d be embarrassed if I were Shaw after United criticism

Former Manchester United defender Phil Neville said he would be embarrassed if Jose Mourinho’s withering assessment of outcast Luke Shaw had been directed at him.

United manager Mourinho took aim at Shaw after leaving him out of the squad for Saturday’s goalless draw against West Brom, criticising the England full-back’s attitude and commitment.

It is not the first time Shaw has come in for criticism from Mourinho but Neville believes the 21-year-old still has time to turn things around at Old Trafford.

“Having played at Manchester United, I think I’d be embarrassed as a player if those accusations were levelled at me in terms of training performances,” Neville told Sky Sports.

“To play football at Manchester United you need to train at 110 per cent, you need to be determined and focused; the fundamentals of a professional footballer.

“He should be Man United’s left-back; no question with the ability he’s got. Something must be going fundamentally wrong. Ashley Young played left-back on Saturday and, if I was Luke Shaw, I would be thinking ‘I should be playing ahead of Young at left-back’, regardless to how good Young is.

“As a young person in life sometimes you need a kick up the backside and I just wonder whether it’s a tactic from Jose to give him a bit of a jolt to say ‘look, it’s now or never Luke, you’re wasting the opportunity that’s in front of you, other players are ahead of you, you’re fit, training every day, and your attitude needs to be right’.

“It could be just what Luke Shaw needs. Jose has probably got to the point where he probably feels it’s not the last throw of the dice but a kick up the backside.

“If you speak to Manchester United and England fans, they’d say Shaw should be England’s number one left-back and Manchester United’s number one left-back. He should be a Manchester United full-back over the next 10 years.

“He has got a chance. You’d hope to think he does. I think Jose said it a month ago. You just wonder whether these strong comments are the final effort from Jose to shake Luke into form and realisation.”

United play host to Everton in the Premier League on Tuesday.