Shaw: New signings can lift the morale

One of the three new arrivals at the club, Alex Telles, plays in Luke’s regular position but the 25-year-old has welcomed the additions (Facundo Pellistri and Edinson Cavani are the others) as they will lift standards throughout the squad.

“Competition for any team is a must,” he told us. “There is competition for every single spot and you’ve got to be ready for it, work hard and give the manager a decision harder than what he’s had to make before. Like I said, competition is very healthy for the squad, it’ll push everyone even more because everyone wants to play.

“It [Saturday’s match] is one we all want to play in. We all hoped it would be a bit earlier, to be honest, as the last game wasn’t good. We’ve had a lot of time to think and work and be ready for this. We need to win it. It’s a must-win game and we want to put things right. We’ve got very important games coming up. Everyone is looking forward to working hard so we’re going to be ready for it.”