‘Course it hurts’ – Manchester United star admits Roy Keane was right in stinging criticism of him

Luke Shaw has admitted he deserved to be singled out by Roy Keane for his performance in the Manchester derby.

The England defender was singled out by the former Man United captain after the 3-0 defeat to Man City at the Etihad last weekend.

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Shaw was accused of ‘giving up’ and ‘throwing in the towel’ when Jeremy Doku skipped past him to set up Phil Foden’s opening goal.

The 30-year-old, who played the full 90 minutes, was then powerless to stop Erling Haaland racing through to score City’s second.

It was also his underhit pass to Harry Maguire that sparked the counter-attack from which the Norwegian added a third.

Keane said: “I think Shaw has been getting away with murder for years at United.

“Always injured, never quite fit and we make excuses for him.

“Then he gets a few games under his belt and he’s making decisions like he doesn’t want to tackle people.”

Shaw was asked about those comments after United bounced back to beat Chelsea 2-1 on Saturday, and admitted Keane’s words hurt.

However, the former Southampton star claimed he doesn’t need the Irishman to tell him when he plays badly.

Shaw said: “Of course it hurts. He’s got a lot of experience. He was one of the best captains ever for Man United.

“Sometimes you just have to take it on the chin. I think criticism is part of being a football player. I listen to it. But for me, I think he was right. I think that last week, I wasn’t at my level at all.

Shaw responds to Keane’s criticism

“I don’t need Roy Keane to tell me [that I wasn’t at my level],” Shaw continued. “After the game, I knew that.

“The most important thing is knowing how good I can be. The manager knows that.

“I think the managers who I played with in the past know that. I’m always in the team and I’m always playing, so there must be something that the managers believe in.

“I’m not getting any younger now and I need to be consistent. I’ve had a lot of ups and downs, but for me now, it’s about keeping that consistency at a high level. Because I know I can do that.

“I think that’s why last week hurt me a lot, because that’s not my level. And I think the criticism is what people understand. But like I said, I take it on the chin and listen to it and move on.”

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Shaw’s injury record

Man United manager Ruben Amorim described the left-back as ‘world class’ shortly after United arrived in the US for pre-season.

Yet the Red Devils faithful haven’t seen Shaw operating at a top level consistently in recent years owing to his horrendous injury record.

The England international started just 27 games across the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, missing 110 matches through six fitness issues.

Shaw, who is in his 12th year at United, has managed to start all five of the club’s Premier League games this term.

The win over Chelsea was the third successive match he has completed in full, with Amorim securing a much-needed victory.