José puts his faith in ‘normal team’

MANCHESTER United will return to their “normal team” for the Premier League clash against Watford tomorrow, manager José Mourinho said, after suffering a surprising 1-0 defeat against Feyenoord in the Europa League.

The Portuguese made a host of changes for their trip to Rotterdam, resting the likes of club captain Wayne Rooney, Antonio Valencia and Luke Shaw, but Mourinho’s star-studded side were defeated by a late goal in a lacklustre display.

The for mer Real Madrid and Chelsea manager will be eager to bounce back from his second straight loss this season when United travel to Watford.

“It is obvious we left players like (Antonio) Valencia and (Luke) Shaw at home to rest so we can go back to a normal team without so many changes,” Mourinho told .

BT Sport Mourinho handed starts to forwards Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial, while record signing Paul Pogba retained a spot in the line-up against the Dutch side, but a laboured offensive display from United lacked any fluency.

“Some of the players were playing their first minutes of the season, not many minutes for them,” Mourinho added. “Obviously some played better than others but I have to understand that some of these players haven’t played week after week like the other boys.

“The second half was better than the first. We had more intensity because in the first half my players were in control without pushing to try but the second was different. Feyenoord defended with everything, a great crowd, a great spirit we know that.”

United, who suffered their first league defeat of the season against Manchester City last Saturday, are fourth in the table.

Meanwhile, Manchester City’s John Stones has predicted it is just a matter of time before teammate Sergio Aguero’s goal-scoring ability earns him individual honours.

Aguero netted his ninth goal in five games this season following his hat-trick in City’s 4-0 win over Borussia Moenchengladbach in their Champions League Group C opener on Wednesday.

The 28-year-old has not featured in the Professional Football Association (PFA) Team of the Year and has never won the PFA Player of the Year award either, something Stones blamed on the Argentine’s low-profile lifestyle.

“If he keeps playing like he is then there’s no reason why he can’t be nominated,” Stones told British media.

City host Bournemouth today looking to keep their perfect start to the season in tact.