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MANCHESTER. — Jose Mourinho laid into his Derby Day flops and warned them they will be dropped for Manchester United’s next game.
New boss Mourinho reacted to the 2-1 home defeat to local rivals Man City by admitting several of his under-performing team will lose their places.
Young striker Marcus Rashford, who lifted the Red Devils when he came on for the second half, will be promoted to the starting line-up after Mourinho conceded he blundered by leaving him on the bench on Saturday.
“The performances are the deciding factor,” said the Special One.
“How can I decide? Performances are the only way that I can decide.
“So if you’re asking me if they’re going to play against Feyenoord (in United’s opening Europa League group game in Rotterdam on Thursday), then no.
“And it’s not to punish them, it’s just to decide in relation to what I have. And what do I have? Their performances. So of course I’m going to play other players.”
Mourinho admitted several of his players, including Jesse Lingard and new signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan, both of whom were subbed at half-time, were overwhelmed by the magnitude of the derby.
“Let’s speak, for example, about Mkhitaryan,” said Mourinho of the Armenia international bought this summer from Borussia Dortmund. “How many big matches has he played?
“The kid Jesse (who was starting just his 21st league game for United) — how many times has he played big matches?
“So you never know the way players are going to react, especially when you don’t know them so well. And, after only a couple of months, it’s too early to know them really well.”
Mourinho did consider starting Rashford in the derby after his winner off the bench at Hull in United’s previous game and a midweek hat-trick for the England Under-21s. And he admitted the 18-year-old’s fearlessness means he is now ready to promote him to the starting XI and keep faith with him once there.
“For me, the next big game is against Feyenoord — and the next game he’s going to play,” said Mourinho. “That’s the only thing I can say.
“I trust him completely. I know his future will be absolutely brilliant.
“He’s mainly a No.9. If you want to play him in different positions, we need to work on him, we need to improve him, but his big personality is there.” — The Mirror.
Online Reporter