Jose Mourinho: Wayne Rooney is still 'my man'

24 September 2016 03:25

You could hardly blame Jose Mourinho for looking more than a tad smug as he faced the media - not the music this time - with a smile of satisfaction which spoke volumes.

His Manchester United side, derided and hammered from pillar to post in recent weeks, produced a goalscoring masterclass to be proud of. For fans and manager alike.

Goals from Chris Smalling, Juan Mata, Marcus Rashford and Paul Pogba were worthy reward for a scintillating 45-minute display rarely seen post-Fergie.

Although Demarai Gray pulled a goal back United enjoyed a memorable afternoon which began with Mourinho dropping talismanic skipper Wayne Rooney. A gamble, perhaps, but one which paid off. Big time!

After United had ended a run of three successive defeats and, despite a spirited but brief Leicester attempt at a comeback, Mourinho said it was all about the start.

Speaking on Sky Sports, he said: "We started very well for the first time. Normally our second half performance is better than the first. "We always prepare the same professional way but from the first whistle we had great intensity, good movement and a good dynamic. To beat the champions (twice now) is a very good feeling.

"I can't pick out individuals because the whole team shone. When you score four goals and your main striker it says a lot about the other players, especially as Zlatan was phenomenal."

Mourinho was also pleased with the way his often-criticised back line coped with Leicester's now renowned counter-attacks. He added: "Defensively we were very strong against a team that is easy to analyse but difficult to cope with. This time we analysed AND coped.

Asked about the criticism he and his team had faced in recent weeks, he simply said: "That is not important. The most important thing was the performance and the result, and about the security. It was also about making the fans happy. I'm not sure when the last time was that they saw such a performance and four goals by half time.

"Obviously, in the second half it was going to be more difficult and Claudio (Ranieri) did very well with his changes. I don't anybody expected us to score another four and walk away with an 8-0 victory. It was a very good performance."

Speaking about his decision to rest Rooney, who came on for the last ten minutes of a game which sent United third in the table, Jose remarked: "He is as happy as I am; happy his team has won.

"He is still a big player for me, for United and for his country. I have nothing more to say other than that he is my man and I trust him."

Source: DSG