Manchester United delivered a much-needed victory over Chelsea at the weekend and one of their stars has now delivered his response in the wake of some fierce criticism from club icon Roy Keane.

Manchester United hope to turn corner after defeating Chelsea

Truthfully, it has been hard not to be critical of Manchester United and Ruben Amorim at times this term after a turbulent start and mixed results, albeit they may now have started to turn a corner after consigning Chelsea to defeat at Old Trafford.

Admittedly, the Red Devils never make it easy for themselves, but they have been entertaining to watch in recent times and the former Sporting boss refused to blame goalscorer Casemiro after his sending off put their lead in jeopardy.

He stated post-match: “It’s because Casemiro cares – we scored one and then he has that tackle. Then they have maybe one time that they passed the half of the pitch and we want to win the ball right away. So I think sometimes it’s a little bit, not the pressure, they want it too much in that moment. That is not a bad thing.”

Plenty of criticism has been thrown at his group over the time Amorim has been in the Manchester United dugout, so it is only fair his players earn their fair share of credit for winning a pivotal fixture that has greatly enhanced their Premier League prospects.

Before their victory over Chelsea, Luke Shaw was heavily criticised by Roy Keane for his display against Manchester City after the England international failed to prevent Phil Foden’s opener in the 3-0 derby loss.

“Very good from City, Doku and Foden. Timing perfect not getting in there too early. But United’s defending, the two midfielders beforehand are too square, and Shaw just gives up.

“It’s a nice bit of skill, but Shaw’s an England international player. He’s got hundreds of games under his belt, he doesn’t even get his body position right. It’s like he has thrown the towel in.

“We know people can run off the back of Bruno, that’s been going on for years. But my goodness, even before that, you’ve got two midfielders – they are too square. One pass takes them out. Far too easy. Shaw just throws the towel in there.”

Now, the England international has delivered an honest response to the Irishman’s words as the mood begins to lighten a little at Old Trafford.

Luke Shaw responds to Roy Keane criticism

Making a surprise admission, Shaw expressed his agreement with Keane’s comments and vowed to keep his consistency moving forward at Manchester United.

He told BBC Sport: “Sometimes you just have to take it on the chin. Of course it hurts. He was one of the best captains ever for Manchester United. I think he was right. Last week, I wasn’t at my level at all. I don’t need Roy Keane to tell me.

Later, he added: “I’m always in the team and I’m always playing, so there must be something the managers believe in. I’ve had a lot of ups and downs, but for me now, it’s about keeping that consistency at a high level. I know I can do that. That’s why last week hurt me a lot.”

Manchester United is a club that demands accountability and Shaw has been gracious in his assessment, taking ownership and looking to improve his performance rather than hiding away from critique. Fotmob show that the Three Lions star took Keane’s advice on board against Chelsea, winning three tackles, making three blocks and completing 34 of his 38 attempted passes.

Given he is playing on the left-hand side of a back three, which isn’t his natural position, Shaw performed admirably over the piece and will hope to strike up a convincing run of displays that coincides with Manchester United getting points on the board.