Luke Shaw has said Roy Keane was right to call out his performance in the derby defeat to Manchester City, but admitted that criticism from the former Manchester United captain still "hurt."
Keane said Shaw has been "getting away with murder for years" after the England defender was at fault for two goals in the 3-0 defeat at the Etihad Stadium.
Shaw put in a much-improved display in the 2-1 win over Chelsea on Saturday, playing a part setting up Casemiro for United's second goal.
The 30-year-old accepts he under-performed against City and says that, as one of United's most experienced players, he must become more consistent.
"I think sometimes you just have to take it on the chin," Shaw said when asked about Keane's criticism.
"He's got a lot of experience. He was one of the best captains ever for Man United. Of course it hurts. "I think criticism is part of being a football player. I listen to it. But for me, I think he was right. I think that last week, I wasn't at my level at all. "I don't need Roy Keane to tell me. I think after the game, I knew that. I knew that, but of course it hurts.
"I'm not getting any younger now and I need to be consistent. I've had a lot of ups and downs, but for me now, it's about keeping that consistency at a high level. I know I can do that."
Shaw let Jérémy Doku run past him before crossing for Phil Foden to score during the derby defeat and was then held off by Erling Haaland as the Norwegian striker made it 2-0 to City just after half-time.
Speaking on Sky Sports after the game, Keane didn't hold back in his assessment of Shaw's performance and also called out his injury record at the club since his move from Southampton in 2014.
"I think Shaw has been getting away with murder for years at United," Keane said.
"Always injured, never quite fit. We make excuses and then he gets a few games under his belt and then he's making decisions like he doesn't even want to tackle people."
Shaw has endured a frustrating two years at United after being sidelined for long spells with a series of injuries.
But after a full preseason, he has started each of United's five league games this term, playing as a left-sided centre-back in Ruben Amorim's 3-4-3 system.
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"The most important thing is knowing how good I can be," Shaw said.
"The manager knows that. I think the managers who I played with in the past know that. I'm not in the team. I'm always in the team and I'm always playing, so there must be something that the managers believe in.
"Last week hurt me a lot, because that's not my level. And I think the criticism is what people understand.
"But like I said, I take it on the chin and listen to it and move on."