Shaw Says Enough Is Enough: Time for a Culture Reboot at Old Trafford
Things at Manchester United haven’t just gone off track—they’ve been careering into chaos. Ask anyone who’s watched their Premier League slide to 15th place last season or their limp surrender to Tottenham in the Europa League final. For most fans, those results say it all. But it’s the words coming from inside the dressing room that really sting. Luke Shaw, United’s longest-serving player since 2014, isn’t holding back. He says what you see on the pitch is just the tip of the iceberg—the real problems start behind those famous Old Trafford doors.
What’s changed? A lot, especially with Ruben Amorim coming in as manager just as the 2024/25 season ended in disaster. While many managers would walk in quietly, shake hands, and talk about "process," Amorim has set about bulldozing United’s old habits. He’s demanding nothing less than 100% effort every day. Anyone not meeting his standards doesn’t even make the matchday squad. And he’s made those rules crystal clear, no matter a player’s reputation or past achievements.
Shaw, who has seen more managers than some fans have seen United wins lately, clearly agrees with the no-nonsense vibe. He’s seen first-hand how a slack workplace breeds negativity. Describing it as a "toxic" environment, he says the only way out is to raise expectations and hold everyone—rookies and veterans—to the same standards. That means punctuality, focus, intensity in training, and zero tolerance for going through the motions.
Big Names Out, New Attitudes In
The Amorim era has already seen some big changes. Marcus Rashford—a fan favorite and United youth product—has been shown the door, albeit temporarily, with a loan move to Barcelona. There’s no hiding from it: the squad is being rebuilt from the ground up. Rashford isn’t the only one whose position suddenly feels less safe. Players who have long coasted on reputation are now being judged purely on attitude and performance.
Shaw is adamant that this is exactly what’s needed. He singled out the role of experienced players in reinforcing Amorim’s rules. The message isn’t just coming down from the manager; it has to travel across the whole team. When a senior pro sets the example—shows up on time, trains hard, doesn’t cut corners—it forces everyone else to fall in line. Shaw knows he’s now not just responsible for his game but for helping to police the standards the club desperately needs.
The pre-season trip to the US this summer isn’t just about gaining match fitness. Shaw framed it as a total reset moment to scrub away the baggage of last year. It’s a chance for everyone, especially new arrivals or players previously on the fringes, to impress a manager for whom no name is too big—or too established—to drop. United’s usually sluggish July friendlies suddenly feel like a series of auditions.
For a lot of United fans, last season is one they’d rather forget. But the hope is that Amorim’s brutal honesty and Shaw’s public backing mean the squad’s finally ready to swap excuses for accountability. There’s no guarantee of trophies, but for the first time in a while, there’s no more hiding from the hard truths either. United’s culture is under the microscope, and by the sound of it, that’s just how the new boss likes it.