It is my duty to defend my players – Mourinho
United boss insists ‘untouchable’ Lukaku deserves more support
JOSE MOURINHO has sought to provoke Manchester United supporters into giving more backing to striker Romelu Lukaku, branding the Belgian “untouchable”.
Mourinho accused United fans of not properly appreciating the £75m striker, suggesting the centre-forward should be immune from criticism after an excellent start to his Old Trafford career.
Having first raised the issue following United’s 1-0 win over Tottenham on Saturday, Mourinho expanded on his concerns ahead of his side’s Champions League tie with Benfica.
“The fans are the fans. They pay for their ticket and are free to express how they want to express but my job is to protect my players when they deserve it,” said Mourinho. “Romelu is one of the players who should be untouchable in terms of respect from everyone. It’s not one goal or the ball going against the post or a save by the opposition keeper that can make Romelu’s contribution below the top level. He is playing extremely well for us.
“I need to protect my players when I feel they deserve it most. What he does for the team is fantastic. It is not just about scoring goals. He is untouchable in my team and I feel he should be untouchable with the fans.
“I repeat, fans can do what they want, but I repeat, I feel it is my duty to defend my players when I feel they deserve it.”
The United coach said Lukaku’s contribution extended beyond his 11 goals since his summer move from Everton. He has not scored in his past five games, but has made key assists, including the winner for Anthony Martial against Spurs.
Mourinho said this discredited the idea Lukaku did not contribute enough when he did not score.
“I don’t think he is quiet at all,” said Mourinho. “Ask Alderweireld, Vertonghen and Dier if he was quiet. They are some of the best central defenders in football. The point is scoring or not scoring – in the end that is what people analyse. But he is not quiet at all.”
It is a curious move from Mourinho to chastise his own fans, although not the first time he has done so. In November 2014, he criticised Chelsea fans after a 2-1 home win over QPR.
“I was looking around and it was empty, but not in terms of people because it was obviously full,” he said at that time.
His latest remarks have prompted theories as to his true motive.
Those who attended Saturday’s fixture did not feel Lukaku received any criticism from the fans. On the other hand, there has been a relatively lukewarm response towards Lukaku
given he has hit the ground running and already started to justify his transfer fee. Other strikers who went on to become club legends after similarly strong starts formed an immediate bond with the supporters.
Lukaku does not appear to be suffering any confidence issue, albeit he will welcome his manager’s positive remarks about his form.
Most likely, Mourinho wants Old Trafford to respond to his observations by banishing any sense of ambivalence towards Lukaku’s performance.
Should Lukaku’s name be chanted tonight, no doubt the United manager would feel his words had the necessary impact.
That Mourinho was willing to make this a topic of conversation also demonstrates how confident he is United will make their way into the knockout stage of the Champions League as there was little discussion about the immediate challenge ahead. Benfica are bottom of their group.
United’s pre-match conference included just seven questions, only three of which were from English media. Having first discussed Lukaku, Mourinho could be seen asking “last one?” to United’s press officer, as if his main point had been delivered.
He was asked by Portuguese journalists why he praised Benfica, given their poor Champions League performances this season.
“The [United] players feel it on the pitch when they play, and they felt like it was quite easy to win against CSKA and Basel but difficult to beat Benfica,” said Mourinho.
“The game in Benfica could easily have been 0-0 or 1-1. Benfica were much better than those two teams tactically and collectively. I was not disappointed with the performance of Benfica.
“In small groups, a bad result in the first match can give you a bad feeling for the rest of the matches.
“The game against CSKA I’ve seen it over again and it’s difficult to see how Benfica lost that match.
“They have their own ambition and pride and will try to win. Our aim tomorrow is to qualify and our main aim is to finish first in the group.” (© Daily Telegraph, London) Man United v Benfica, Live BT Sport 3 & TV3