Jose Mourinho was frank in the aftermath of Manchester United’s derby defeat on Saturday, admitting one big error had cost his team victory.
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His decision to start Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Jesse Lingard over the in-form Marcus Rashford or Anthony Martial and Juan Mata left many bewildered.
“I did not know Paul before and now I know him personally, he is a boy who works hard, he wants to progress and has a good attitude”.
Mourinho heavily criticised his players in the wake of the loss, claiming that they had gone directly against his pre-game instructions, but the Portuguese was buoyed by the display from his summer signing from Villarreal.
Last campaign Rashford scored nine goals in 18 appearances and is already off the mark this season after getting a crucial victor against Hull City where he made a massive impact on the game.
Rashford’s debut for Manchester United came in the Europa League in February, in which he scored twice in a 5-1 win over Midtjylland.
He also praised City, managed by his long-term rival Pep Guardiola, saying they were better than us in the first half. The boss went on to add “the kid gave us what we had needed” and if it was like that from the start then “we would be here now speaking about a different result”.
“And it’s not to punish them, it’s just to decide in relation to what I have. Their performances. So, of course, I am going to play other players”. A couple months is too early to know them really well.
When asked if some positions are up for grabs in the starting XI, Mourinho said only this: “Performances are the only way that I can decide. But maybe now for the next big game I know who will be able to cope with the pressure”.
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United head to Rotterdam on Thursday night to begin their Europa League campaign and Mourinho will be demanding his players bounce back from their derby day disappointment by bringing home all three points from their Group A opener.
