FA CUP FOOTBALL

Paul Pogba and Alexis Sanchez were both left out of his starting line-up.

But the United manager’s response to what was, after all, a comfortable victory was an astonishing psychological tactic that may, ultimately, backfire — a point that Mourinho accepted when asked why he had made such a calculated outburst.

“My calculation is that without pressure, they don’t perform well. What can I lose?” he said. “And the ones that are always there are the ones that will always be there. And that is an example of personality. “You have the kid that didn’t play well at all (McTominay). I told him already, he was the first one I spoke to individually in the dressing room. “And for me a Manchester United player is one who when he plays badly still gives to the team. That is a question of personality, that is a Manchester United player for me. And that is what some of the others did not have.” Mourinho had hinted before the game that many of his stars are currently underperforming and, tellingly, plan and was, accordingly, substituted at half-time. That made Shaw an obvious

target for Mourinho to be questioned about although the United manager clearly had other players in mind

when issuing his widespread critique. “I wanted more personality in the team because many, many times I felt that Matic was an island of personality,