Frustrated, after being humiliated in a 2-0 loss to Newcastle United on Sunday, Manchester United players met without manager Erik ten Hag, according to defender Luke Shaw, who offered a brutally honest appraisal of his team.
“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,” the 27-year-old told Sky Sports.
“Because it’s down to us players on the pitch, and it was nowhere near good enough. We had to speak out in front of each other.”
After losing the League Cup final to Manchester United by a score of 2-0 in February, Newcastle managed to gain some measure of retribution against their visitors by moving up to third place in the Premier League.
Callum Wilson, who scored one of Newcastle’s goals alongside Joe Willock on Sunday at St. James’s Park, remarked, “We were disappointed with the final. It left a sour taste in our mouth. We had to put it right in front of our fans.”
They made amends admirably, dominating their opponents in almost every facet of the game.
Shaw, clearly frustrated by Manchester United’s dismal performance, acknowledged as much after the team returned from the international break.
“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.”
Manchester United dropped to fourth place in the standings after the loss, leaving them one point ahead of Tottenham Hotspur in the battle to qualify for the Champions League next season.
Newcastle simply wanted it more, Ten Hag said.
“I hate to say it but they were better today – especially their determination, passion and desire. They wanted to win more so they won,” the Dutch coach said.
