Manchester United defender Luke Shaw revealed that the players held a meeting in the change room without the presence of their gaffer Erik Ten Hag after their 2-0 loss against Newcastle United on Sunday at St. James Park.
Shaw admitted that the team’s performance was nowhere near good enough and they need to accept the same before going back to the drawing board.
Joe Willock and Callum Wilson scored for the home team in the second half to put them in front and with this win, the Magpies leapfrogged United to go to third place in the points table.
“I’m not going to go too much into that, but the players had a bit of a chat in the changing room after with no staff around,” Shaw told Sky Sports after the match. “Because it’s down to us players on the pitch, and it was nowhere near good enough.
Meanwhile, Newcastle United had suffered a 2-0 defeat against Manchester United in the League Cup final in February and they were able to avenge that loss on Sunday.
“We were disappointed with the final,” said Callum Wilson, who along with Joe Willock scored Newcastle’s goals on Sunday at St James’ Park. “It left a sour taste in our mouth. We had to put it right in front of our fans.”
Shaw admitted that the loss was a tough pill to swallow for the team and they need to do better as a unit in the remaining matches of the season.
“Not what we wanted. Not what we were expecting. When you come here to a tough stadium and a very good side and you don’t come with the right attitude and hunger it will be a tough day. That showed today. We deserved to lose,” he said.
“The whole team had a bit of rest,” Shaw added. “Our levels had dropped, that was clear to see. Coming in today we felt good and ready for the game. The whistle goes and it’s the complete opposite to what we’ve been doing in training. Unacceptable.”
The Red Devils will next face Brentford on Wednesday at Old Trafford.
