Football
ESPN staff 9y

Luke Shaw: There are two sides to Man United boss Louis van Gaal

Luke Shaw has praised Louis van Gaal for his insistence on the highest standards as he looks to finally deliver on his potential at Manchester United, saying: "He has two sides to him."

Shaw, 19, just United from Southampton last summer but Van Gaal publicly questioned his fitness levels soon afterwards, and the England international has managed only 14 appearances in the Premier League this season.

However, he was one of United's most impressive performers in their 1-0 defeat at Chelsea on Saturday, and Shaw said he is now hoping to start making an impact at Old Trafford.

When asked whether his display at Stamford Bridge was his best yet in a United shirt, Shaw said in the Daily Mirror: "I'd like to think that. I felt really good on the pitch. I got forward a lot, but I think everyone was brilliant and we could have got something from the game.

"I haven't been playing and there have been a lot of negative comments about me. It is something that isn't nice and I've tried to ignore it, but hopefully this is the start of me coming back. This will give me confidence, of course."

Shaw was substituted at half-time during last month's 2-1 defeat to Arsenal in the FA Cup, but he denied it had anything to do with his fitness and said Van Gaal, a renowned disciplinarian, had been "unbelievable" in assisting his development.

"I saw a comment the other day saying I was taken off at half-time against Arsenal because I wasn't fit enough, but that's not true at all," he said. "This is coming from me and I know what the manager pulled me off for and it wasn't for my fitness because I could have carried on in the game.

"I spoke with the manager about it. I felt my back a little bit and he just wanted to be careful because I am young and hopefully have a long future ahead of me. It wasn't anything about my fitness at all.

"I have family and friends who are helping me on my journey and the manager has been unbelievable as well. Over the last three weeks, I have learned a lot from him and credit goes to him for trusting me in a big game like Chelsea.

"He has two sides to him, but he is genuinely a really nice guy and a great manager. You have seen what he has turned United into in recent weeks, but that is because there is a really focused side, where you have to give 100 percent in every training session and game and be focused all the time."

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