Luke Shaw has delivered a brutally honest verdict on the current state of Manchester United — and thrown his full support behind Ruben Amorim’s hard-line approach to fixing it.
Speaking in Chicago at a Premier League event, the 30-year-old defender admitted that the club's environment had become “extremely negative” in recent years, pointing to a culture that lacked discipline, standards, and collective unity.
Amorim, who took over following United’s woeful 15th-place finish and Europa League final defeat to Tottenham, has wasted no time in trying to clean house — dropping five senior players, including Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho, in what has been dubbed a bomb-squad-style reset.
“It’s Been Toxic” – Shaw Speaks Honestly on United Culture
Shaw was visibly emotional when reflecting on the Europa League final loss in Bilbao, where United missed out on all European football for the 2025/26 season. At the time, he questioned whether he or his teammates were “good enough” to represent the club — a comment that drew criticism from Gary Neville.
Looking back, Shaw stands by the sentiment.
“It can be quite toxic, the environment, it’s not healthy at all… Ruben brings demands. Mentality is a big thing. He doesn’t want anything less than 100%.” — Luke Shaw
Shaw says Amorim’s no-excuses mentality has already begun to change the dynamic.
Amorim’s Standards: Perform or You’re Out
The Portuguese manager has introduced strict rules around effort, timekeeping, and team-first mentality. According to Shaw, Amorim doesn’t care about names or reputations — if a player isn’t giving 100%, they don’t play.
Shaw added that it’s not just on the manager — senior players must now enforce those same standards in the dressing room.
“The manager’s not bothered who the player is… Whatever he wants, we have to deliver — and we’re fully behind that,” Shaw stated.
While Shaw did not reference United’s exiled five (Rashford, Garnacho, Sancho, Malacia, Antony) directly, he did say there are “no stragglers in this group any more”, hinting that Amorim’s firm line has created early buy-in.
Luke Shaw’s 2024/25 stats for Manchester United
| Stat (2024/25) | Luke Shaw |
|---|---|
| Appearances (All competitions) | 12 |
| Goals | 0 |
| Assists | 0 |
| Minutes Played | 348 |
| Chances Created | Data not available |
*Appearances, goals, assists and minutes from all competitions; sourced via Transfermarkt and Wikipedia updated to May 25, 2025*.
Analyst Verdict: Shaw Speaks for a Dressing Room Finally Facing the Truth
Luke Shaw’s comments are striking not just for their honesty, but for what they reveal — a dressing room that had fallen into complacency, cliques, and confusion. Amorim’s bold decisions, especially his willingness to sideline senior names, show he's not interested in reputation — only standards.
It’s exactly what United need. And having one of the longest-serving players support that shift publicly sends a clear message: this rebuild is real, and the dressing room knows it.
Key Insights
- Luke Shaw admits Manchester United’s dressing room was “toxic” and “unhealthy.”
- He fully supports manager Ruben Amorim’s hard-line, no-excuses approach.
- Amorim has dropped five senior players to reset the culture.
- Shaw says senior players must help enforce standards.
- The club is rebuilding after finishing 15th and losing the Europa League final.
What’s Next for Amorim’s Manchester United?
The hard reset is underway. With key players exiled and a new core emerging, Amorim’s challenge is consistency — and keeping standards sky-high across a 38-game season.
United have already added Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, and continue to pursue a new striker and defensive midfielder. But perhaps the biggest test won’t be signings — it will be whether Amorim can maintain control and rebuild belief inside a club that’s been broken for years.
Can Ruben Amorim truly change Manchester United’s culture — or is it too far gone? Join the debate below.
1 Comment (last comment by Adem)
First read message
By Adem 30 Jul 2025 09:20
its good to get rid of toxic players, but I still dont see Amorim succeeding at United. Thats because he's very stubborn with his tactic. I dont see the 5 at the back working tbh - but we will see this season, there's no excuses for him or United!
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