Mourinho to drop under-performing players for semi

JOSE Mourinho has decided to axe some under-performing stars for the FA Cup semi-final against Tottenham in the wake of Manchester United’s alarming loss to West Brom.

A season-defining week kicked off in embarrassing fashion on Sunday as Jay Rodriguez fired the beleaguered Baggies to their first Premier League win in three months, sealing the title for Manchester City in the process.

It was a meek display from the hosts and a performance in stark contrast to the way they roared back to victory at the Etihad Stadium the previous weekend — a result of what Mourinho believes was overconfidence and complacency.

The United boss has now vowed to drop some big names ahead of Saturday’s Wembley semi-final against Spurs, with changes also in mind for tomorrow’s Premier League trip to Bournemouth.

“Rotating is not the right word,” Mourinho said of his approach at the Vitality Stadium.

“If I play a player against Bournemouth and the player is phenomenal, he plays the semi-final.

“So, is not rotating, because rotating looks like a player that plays against Bournemouth is to give a rest to somebody that is going to play against Spurs in the semi-final.

“So, the word is not rotation, it is an opportunity for people, for some people to play and to try to get a place in the team for Spurs — and some of the guys that played (against West Brom), they don’t have a place in that team.”

Asked to clarify if he meant that some of those who under-performed against West Brom would now not play against Tottenham, Mourinho said: “Yeah. What is the criteria for a manager to choose a team? The only way is to go with performance.”