The new Roma manager Jose Mourinho has revealed that he was too harsh on left-back Luke Shaw during his time at Manchester United. Recently, Luke Shaw has accused Mourinho of having a ‘personal agenda’ against him, following years of criticism that left him out of the team between 2016 and 2018.
Last season, Luke Shaw was titled player of the year at Manchester United. The Englishman continued his renaissance with an outstanding Euro 2020 performance, and Mourinho admitted he couldn’t help but praise the left-back. “Because people think I don’t like Luke Shaw, I have to say, amazing tournament, a fantastic final,” he told talkSPORT.
“No defensive mistakes. Very solid. On top of that, he improved and improved, and improved. He scored a goal that doesn’t mean much now but for him, for his career, for the way he grew up, very good. Very good Luke Shaw.”
Later Mourinho emphasized on his actions towards Shaw, and the manager defended claiming that everything he did was to get the most out of the left-back. “I always tried to find what I considered to be the weakness of the player and sometimes I’m successful, other times I’m not. Other times I can create empathy with the player and get the best out of them.”
“Other times the best way to get the best out of them is not to create empathy and is to try to create some friction and to put pressure on the player. Maybe I was too harsh with him and he was not ready for that. The injury was such an incredible injury but I think at this moment where the country looks to him, and deservedly, as a left-back for the national team.
“From my side, I can only say congratulations to him because he did it by himself. For sure with the help and support of his coaches in the club and in the national team. I still think that he has more to give because his potential is good and now he is defending well, he knows how to defend space inside which was a weakness for him. His defense transition when he goes forward and the team loses the ball, his recovery back, he shows a much better intensity. Going forward he is more confident, better crosses.”
