United still in title hunt, says Shaw
With nine games gone, United are eighth in the Premier League, 10 points off the summit.
Shaw has been encouraged by the team’s performance in the 1-1 draw against leaders Chelsea though, and he believes he and his team-mates are still playing below their potential.
The former Southampton player thinks when United hit top gear they will strike fear into the hearts of their opponents and that is why he refuses to give up hope of topping the table come May.
“Of course we are still in the title race,” the United defender said.
“It’s a long season and we are at the start of it. You don’t know what will happen during the middle of the season.
“We just have to keep winning the games coming up. There will be tough games but we know we are good enough to win them.
“We know we have still got the best to come. I don’t think we are playing our best at the moment and sometimes you saw that against Chelsea.
“It will take time but when we are all on form I think we are going to be a scary team to face.”
United needed a late Robin van Persie striker to rescue a point but Shaw thinks Thibaut Courtois got Chelsea out of jail.
Courtois denied van Persie with impressive saves either side of the break and he also thwarted Angel di Maria.
The Belgian, who has spent the last three seasons on loan at Atletico Madrid, dislodged Petr Cech from the number one spot upon his return to London this summer and after Sunday’s performance, Shaw thinks it is easy to see why.
“We’ve seen what Courtois has done in the past six months, not just for Chelsea but before that (with Atletico) so we know what his qualities are and he’s proved to be a great buy for them,” Shaw said.
“We had a lot of chances and, with him in goal, he helped them a lot. Robin had a few and I think it might have been Adnan (Januzaj) who had a shot as well.
“There were those chances but he’s a world-class goalie in their goal and he helped them a lot.”
Although Chelsea top the table, arguably the biggest test for Shaw and his United team-mates will come on Sunday when they travel to the Etihad Stadium to take on bitter rivals Manchester City.
If — as is expected — Radamel Falcao recovers from a leg injury he sustained in training, and Ander Herrera returns to the starting XI, United will have six players in their team who have never experienced a Manchester derby before.
Each and every one of them will be acutely aware of what the fixture means to the fans, Shaw says.
“It’s pretty obvious what this match means to the fans and the club. I don’t think I need to be told about it and the others (new signings) will be aware too.
“I’ve watched it for the past years and I’ve seen how much it means to everyone. It’s one of the biggest occasions in football after the World Cups and Champions League finals.
“It’s a massive occasion for everyone involved in it. We need to come out firing on Sunday.”
Shaw picks out United’s 2-1 victory over City in 2011 as his favourite Manchester derby.
That day Wayne Rooney scored the most memorable goal of his career — an acrobatic overhead kick which sealed victory for United with 12 minutes left.
Rooney has sat out the last three games due to suspension so Shaw thinks the striker will be itching to put on another match-winning display when he returns this weekend.
“It’s a massive boost for us to have him back,” Shaw said.
“It’s something I think he’s looking forward to. Wayne hates sitting on the sidelines watching.
“That goal (in 2011) was an unbelievable goal in a match that big. It was something special.”
Shaw revealed his father Paul was in the stands at Old Trafford for the Chelsea game on Sunday.
Shaw senior used to take his son to Stamford Bridge to watch the Blues, but the Londoner is now very much a red, according to the England full-back.
“My dad is a United fan now. He’s not Chelsea any more,” Shaw said with a smile.
“He is a United fan now and he won’t be too happy (with Sunday’s result) because he wanted us to win really badly.”
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