Will Power

Thursday, March 22, 2018

Neville: Shaw situation a distraction from Man Utd's disappointments

Gary Neville discusses the futures of Luke Shaw and Paul Pogba.

To be honest with you, I can't help feeling the whole Luke Shaw issue is a distraction from the critical aspect of the season.

United spent a lot of money and the aspiration was to win the Premier League and go as far as they could in the Champions League and obviously neither have happened.

The issue for me isn't the individuals - whether Shaw, Paul Pogba or Alexis Sanchez are underperforming - but that the team aren't very consistent, which over the course of Mourinho's career his teams have always been.

If you look at the performances against Liverpool and then Sevilla, they were night and day, and this looks like a group of individuals rather than a group functioning as a team.

What I would say about Shaw is that the talent and ability are there, but his job as a footballer is to be prepared to perform every day and do every single thing in his life well to be a United player.

At the moment, his potential is not being recognised. I've got a great belief in Luke Shaw and the reality is it would be a great shame if he leaves United without fulfilling his potential.

There's a lot of players out there with less ability but maximising their potential and I just hope he can get there.

Concentration key for Pogba

Paul Pogba has got the character and personality to play for United, there's no doubt about that. He's played in the biggest matches in Europe at a huge club in Juventus.

What he has got to do is perform consistently. Some will say it is down to the position he plays, while some will say it is his lack of concentration and focus.

It is never a matter of a black and white in the sense that there's always a player's reason and always a manager's reason, but as I look at it he needs to play with higher levels of concentration.

Everything about Manchester United is a crisis. Every time they lose a game - like against Sevilla - everything is a crisis and there is no reasoned level being applied.

Results the only response

The reality of it is the only thing that will shut people up when you're at Manchester United is winning matches and trophies - everything else is irrelevant.

It is okay pointing towards pundits, fans or referees, but the only people who can make that pressure go away are those at the club getting results.

The FA Cup will really help the club this season. If you'd have asked me at the start of the season whether second place and the FA Cup would be a successful season I would have said no, because the league had to be the priority.

However, now looking at where they are at, it would absolutely be a progression from previous seasons, but ultimately be below where it needs to be.

Credit: Skysports.com

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