JOSE: MY REIGN WON’T SEE ANY SPECIAL TREATMENT FOR ROONEY
JOSE Mourinho insists there are no special privileges for Wayne Rooney and he is prepared to substitute the United captain when the situation demands it.
The 30-year-old striker was hounded on social media during Saturday’s 1-0 win at Hull City for his below par performance, especially in the first half at the KCOM Stadium.
Mourinho, too, was being criticised for not sacrificing him and bringing on fresh legs.
Mourinho’s first sub move saw the Reds boss send £26m summer signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan into the action against Mike Phelan’s side for Anthony Martial after an hour.
When Marcus Rashford came on for his first senior Premier League minutes of the season after 71 minutes it was Juan Mata who made way.
Rooney was not taken off until the 90th minute for Chris Smalling.
By then the skipper had brilliantly set up Rashford’s winner, vindicating Mourinho’s decision not to bring him off.
But the United manager says that neither him nor Rooney would have a problem if he was the man to be selected to be taken off early in future.
“I can take him out. It’s no problem for me to take him out, no problem for him to be out,” says Mourinho.
“But I was just reading the game and feeling that playing with the two strikers, Marcus and Zlatan, I needed Mkhitaryan and Rooney just inside because the full-backs were the ones playing really wide on the touchline.”
WAYNE Rooney believes the lastgasp win at Hull is proof Jose Mourinho has already corrected one Louis van Gaal mistake.
United ensured they started their Premier League campaign with three straight wins for the first time since 2011 with a 1-0 win over Hull City at the KCOM Stadium.
It was secured thanks to Marcus Rashford’s stoppage-time winner after the 18-year-old striker had come off the bench in the second half.
Mourinho was also able to turn to £26.3m summer signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan as United chased a goal.
And Rooney, who created Rashford’s 92nd-minute strike with fantastic run and cross, insists Mourinho deserves credit for the work he’s done to strengthen the squad he inherited from Van Gaal.
He said: “I think that’s the big difference this year.
“We’ve got players who were starting every game last season on the bench and some players haven’t even travelled.
“We’ve got a big squad and a lot of quality in the squad and whichever players the manager wants to use will have to step in and do a job.”
Victory at Hull meant Mourinho became the first United manager to win his first three league games in charge since Sir Matt Busby achieved the feat in 1946.
And Rooney says the fast start is ominous for the rest of the Premier League.
Mourinho started with at least four wins in each of his title-winning seasons with Chelsea in 2004/05, 2005/06 and 2014/15.
Next up for United is a derby with City and Pep Guardiola at Old Trafford on September 10 following the international break.
Rooney added: “You look at the years when Jose won the title at Chelsea, they always started well.
“I think the way it’s been for us the last two or three seasons, it was important for us as a team.
“Jose has brought that experience in, that winning mentality again.
“That’s showing in the players and it’s maybe lacked over the last couple of years.
“It’s early but you want to try to build momentum and especially going into the international break.
“To go there with three wins is important, and with the next game being Man City.
“It was a big win for us, even though it’s so early in the season.
“We know whatever happens against City isn’t going to define the season but it’s always nice to go into that break with the three wins.”