Luke Shaw says 'thick skin' needed to succeed with Manchester United and Jose Mourinho

Shaw credits Mourinho's 'tough love' approach for turning his Old Trafford career around, despite finding it challenging at times

Luke Shaw recently signed a new five-year Manchester United contract (Getty)

Luke Shaw has admitted that it takes “a thick skin” to play for Jose Mourinho and Manchester United, though he believes his manager’s ‘tough love’ has helped to turn his Old Trafford career around.

Shaw has fought his way back into Mourinho’s thinking this year having previously struggled to establish himself under the United manager, who publicly criticised the player’s performances and application on several occasions.

The 23-year-old has started all but three United games this season, however, and signed a new five-year contract with the club last month, completing his turnaround in fortunes.

Shaw believes that Mourinho’s approach has worked for him and claimed on Monday that such high expectations are part and parcel of playing for a club of United’s structure.

“I kind of enjoyed it,” he said, ahead of United's Champions League clash with Young Boys on Tuesday. “It was a very big challenge for me with some of the things he’s said in the past, especially in the last year or two years."

In quotes widely circulated last week, Mourinho complained about the “mentality” and “lack of aggression” in the modern player, name-checking Shaw at one point, though the England international thought little of it.

“What he said the other day, that was more a generational thing. I don’t think it was really aimed as much at us as individuals,” Shaw said. “He’s talking about nowadays’ generation, as opposed to when he was a bit younger.

“You need a thick skin, of course, playing for the manager but 100% this club, it’s the biggest club in the world and we as players need to take what’s said on board.”

United laboured to a dour goalless draw against Crystal Palace on Saturday and were predictably criticised by Mourinho, who accused some players of lacking “heart” and “desire”.

“Sometimes of course it might look like that, but I look in the training ground and I look around the changing room and I think everyone wants the same, and that’s to win games and to climb up the table,” Shaw said.

“Obviously that’s what we need to do. The last couple of days everyone has been very disappointed. This was a big start for us, after the international break we needed to get a win and it wasn’t meant to be.

“Of course we’re going through a bad stage at the moment but that’s why I signed my contract, because I know good things are coming our way and hopefully that’s sooner rather than later.”