Manchester United's 'crazy' dressing room inquest sharpened focus after first half injuries, says Luke Shaw

Luke Shaw has admitted no punches were pulled by Manchester United’s players and staff during a “crazy” dressing room inquest at half-time of Sunday’s goalless draw against Liverpool.

But the England left-back praised the way United dealt with a series of injury set-backs and believes they are starting to demonstrate a growing defensive resilience after a fourth clean sheet in the past five matches in all competitions.

United lost Ander Herrera, Juan Mata and Mata’s replacement, Jesse Lingard, to hamstring injuries during a chaotic first half at Old Trafford, having also seen Nemanja Matic limp out of training the day before with a hamstring problem.

In addition, Marcus Rashford played the majority of the game with an ankle injury after being clattered by Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson in the seventh minute.

But Shaw said the intense dressing room debate at the interval focused not on the injuries but their sloppiness in possession and a recognition they had to improve, sentiments echoed by caretaker manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer who claimed he had not seen his side so careless on the ball.

“We were all very disappointed with how the first half went. We didn't play well at all,” Shaw said. “We gave too many balls away too cheaply and luckily that didn't cost us.

“But we had a change of formation, we had a good chat at half-time. Everyone was going crazy. But, you know, we said, ‘Relax and we just need to play our game’, and I think the second half was better.

“We still weren’t at our best but overall I think we created the best chances and I feel we should have won.”

Shaw admitted all the injuries provided a test of United’s character and ability to reorganise quickly. “It was a very strange feeling, I don't know if it has ever happened before in a game,” he said. “But we're professional footballers so we need to be able to deal with that and adapt to whatever is thrown at us on the pitch. Of course it's not easy, especially the players we lost. It's quite hard to take. We had two injuries during the week as well that sort of changed the team.

“But we kept focused, we did our job, everyone played brilliantly I thought, especially defensively as a team. To keep Liverpool so quiet overall is a very good job by us but, like I say, we were unlucky not to score.”

United were dismal defensively during the first half of the season under former manager Jose Mourinho but Shaw believes there are growing in confidence and stature as a defensive unit Solskjaer.

“Chelsea [in the FA Cup fifth round] we did that, going 2-0 up so early. I think we showed a resilience to be able to keep a clean sheet against a team like that,” he said.

“We all know how unbelievable Liverpool's attack is and I don't even think David had a save [to make]. So that's credit not just to the back five but the whole team for doing their job."

Solskjaer hailed Shaw’s man of the match performance, in which he suffocated Mohamed Salah, as the best under him and the defender believes he is going from strength to strength after an impressive season to date. Salah was substituted after 79 minutes after getting no joy against Shaw.

“You want to play against the best, you want to test yourself against the best and I want to keep doing that in my career,” Shaw said. “I'm still quite young. There's always room to improve and that's what I want to do, keep improving and see what happens.

“During the game, I'm so focused on just my job and what's happening in the game that I’m not really sort of focused on him [Salah] coming off. Not just me, I felt everyone did an amazing job.

“I think I've still got another level to come. I don't think I am really at my best and I know what I can do when I'm at my best. Of course I am happy with how it went today but there's still more to come from me especially and that's me being honest.

“I feel I can do more but the only thing I need to focus on is myself, keeping myself in the right conditions and keep pushing myself every day and trying to become what I want to be.

“There's a few things in my mind that I know I can do, but I need to do more of it. So, yeah, that's something for me and I need to do that myself.”