Jose Mourinho had one final row with Manchester United left-back Luke Shaw before being sacked as manager, according to reports.
Mourinho was sacked on Tuesday morning after a poor run of results that saw United win only two of his final eight matches in charge in all competitions.
The 3-1 loss to arch-rivals Liverpool on Sunday left the Red Devils 11 points off the top four and 19 points adrift of Jurgen Klopp’s men, who occupy the Premier League summit.
Given Mourinho’s widespread criticism as Shaw publicly fell down the Old Trafford pecking order, there were times this year when some suggested it was a case of when rather than if the 23-year-old would leave the club.
But, not for the first time, Shaw dug deep and came out fighting, winning a starting berth at United, the club’s player of the month for August and September, an England recall and new deal until at least 2023.
Their relationship between Mourinho and Shaw had seemed a lot better before the Portuguese coach’s exit but a report in the Daily Mail claims they had one last bust-up before his departure.
The newspaper claims that Shaw’s decision to declare himself unfit for United’s 4-1 victory over Fulham on December 8 ‘annoyed’ his manager and they ‘did not speak’ for the final days of Mourinho’s tenure.
A back spasm in the warm-up was the reason for Shaw’s absence against Fulham, before he missed out on the matchday squad for their last two matches against Valencia and Liverpool.
And it is understood that he was left out of the losses to Valencia and Liverpool as a consequence for missing the Fulham clash.