Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho has gone on to state that fans can expect surprises in the first team lineup when the Red Devils square off against Everton this weekend.
Manchester United claimed a comfortable 3-0 victory in their Champions League opener against Basel at Old Trafford on Tuesday night and it has to be said that the Portuguese boss got his tactics spot on once again during the encounter.
However, one thing that baffled many was Mourinho’s decision to omit Ander Herrera from the squad for the clash against Basel.
Herrera has struggled for regular minutes on the pitch this season following the arrival of Nemanja Matic over the summer but it was expected that the Spaniard would be given a starting berth in the Champions League group stages.
Not only was Herrera missing from the starting lineup against Basel though, he was omitted from the entire squad and Mourinho has now gone on to explain the surprising decision saying, “No reasons to be out. We are playing only with two midfield players, with Matic and Pogba, who are playing really well and without reason to change.
“The only match we decided to play with three [Herrera] played, today we went back to two again. And I had on the bench [Michael] Carrick and [Marouane] Fellaini, which were also important players last season.”
Mourinho then went on to state that he will be looking to make most of all the players currently at his disposal and told fans to expect surprise inclusions when United square off against Everton this weekend.
He continued, “We have a group of players who must be ready to play and not to play. Ashley Young was not on the bench in the last match and today he started the match and played 90 minutes.
“And the next match you can have another surprise of some player you think is going to play and is not going to play. It’s the squad we have, I have to use the players and that’s the life in clubs with squads of quality.”
Be the first to comment