Luke Shaw backs Ruben Amorim's hardline approach to tackle 'toxic' and 'extremely negative' Man United culture – after Red Devils boss axed stars to bomb squad

Luke Shaw has backed Ruben Amorim’s hardline approach to tackling the ‘toxic’ culture at Old Trafford since he was installed as Manchester United’s head coach.

Amorim has clamped down on ill-discipline and demanded maximum effort from his players, which has brought him into conflict with a number of stars.

United are touring the US without a ‘bomb squad’ of four players – Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho, Antony and Tyrell Malacia – who have been left behind to train at Carrington, while Marcus Rashford has joined Barcelona on loan.

The rest of the United squad have been left in no doubt about the standards expected of them, and Shaw believes the crackdown was long overdue.

‘It’s not hard to see from the outside what it’s been like,’ said the England defender. ‘A lot of the time I’ve been here over the last few years, it’s been extremely negative. It can be quite toxic, the environment, it’s not healthy at all.

‘There are no stragglers in this group anymore. Ruben’s mentality, his demands, he’s extremely tough on the group. He leaves no stone unturned. Everyone has to put the team first, he’s made that very clear.

Shaw claimed there are ‘no stragglers’ in Man United’s squad under Amorim’s management and admitted the atmosphere had been ‘extremely negative’ and ‘quite toxic’ in recent years

Alejandro Garnacho is part of a four-member ‘bomb squad’ under Amorim, while Marcus Rashford left Manchester United last week on a loan deal to Barcelona

‘He demands 100 per cent. That’s it and he doesn’t want anything less. If someone is doing 85-90 per cent, it’s not enough for him. Especially this year, if you’re not doing the right things, I feel like you won’t play.

‘He’s not bothered. I think you’ve seen what he’s done in the past eight months with different players and things like that. He doesn’t care who the player is. I think if he’s not following what he wants, then that’s how it should be, and rightly so.

‘The manager has to do that because, at the end of the day, he’s going to be the one whose job is always on the line. He wants to come in and do exactly what he wants because he’s always the one who’s on the end of the stick.

‘Us players have to be delivering that. So, yes, we’re fully behind that. We’re fully behind him and fully behind his ideas and what he wants to implement in the team.

‘Especially the more experienced ones, we need to be demanding more on a day-in day-out basis; the levels in training, keeping the times of when we’re doing this and doing that, making sure no one’s coming late or anything. I think we need to just all up the level of demands.

‘That’s what I think Ruben definitely brings in is the demands, especially the mentality. The mentality is a big thing on his lips really. He talks a lot about it especially in day-to-day things with the training.

‘He wants to do things his own way and stamp his own authority on the club. I think that’s the only way you can do it, especially at Man United.

‘We need an environment that’s healthy, that’s positive, that’s got good energy and happiness. I think when you have all those things, you feel free and you express yourself more on the pitch.

The long-serving full back admits the club need a positive environment with energy and happiness

Shaw said he does not regret his comments after the Europa League final, when he claimed players had to ask themselves whether they were good enough to be at the club

‘Things come together and I think, especially this pre-season, I feel like us as a team, the bond is growing and growing. In my time here, it’s probably the closest I’ve felt with the squad. I think the atmosphere is really good and extremely positive. Hopefully, that can continue.’

Shaw caused a stir in the wake of United’s defeat to Tottenham in the Europa League final in May when he said that the players had to ask themselves if they are good enough to be at the club.

Asked on tour in Chicago – where Amorim’s side face Bournemouth at Soldier Field in the early hours of Thursday morning – if he regrets those comments, Shaw replied: ‘I wouldn’t say regret, but I think straight after the game your head’s hot and you just say things and you don’t think about it.

‘I think a lot of people after that final, after that year, had the feeling of you don’t know how next season’s going to look. I think we have to be open and honest about that. I think none of us were good enough. I think there always has to be that question about what we think and what’s our plans for the next season,

‘It’s never easy losing a final, especially after the season that we went through it was even harder to take. I think that’s why my head was a bit more hot than usual as well.

‘I think I had such an awful year as well. I was just fully angry about everything. I just think that’s why I did the interview and said what I did.’