SAINT-ETIENNE V UNITED MOURINHO:
JOSE Mourinho has told Luke Shaw he is fourth in line for the United left-back role.
The Reds £27m buy from Southampton has been left out of Mourinho’s 20-man squad to face SaintEtienne in the second leg of their Europa League last-32 tie tonight.
UNITED’S APPROACH JOSE Mourinho will have a job on his hands to convince his players that the tie is not already over.
United lead 3-0 thanks to Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s hat-trick at Old Trafford last week and it will take a massive shock for them to go out.
Mourinho and United will have to guard against complacency.
MARTIAL BACK ON THE BENCH MOURINHO has been quick to sanction Anthony Martial if he feels the Frenchman has not played well.
Last Sunday he was an unused substitute against Blackburn Rovers in the FA Cup fifth round at Ewood Park.
With United holding a comfortable 3-0 lead from the Old Trafford leg against the Ligue 1 side, an outing for forgotten man Shaw looked on the cards.
But the 21-year-old has once again been overlooked. Martial was given a chance against Blackburn but was taken off after an hour. His run of good form has been rewarded with three consecutive starts for the first time since August. He may find, however, that he does not get a fourth.
REPLACEMENT FOR HERRERA ANDER Herrera might
And the Reds’ boss explained the reason behind his decision.
“Why has Luke Shaw stayed behind in Manchester? Because I am playing with Daley Blind, with Marcos Rojo, with Matteo Darmian and all of them are playing the way I like a full-back to play,” he said.
“Luke has to wait for his chance. He has to work better and better knowing that I give nothing for free.
“When I give something to the players it’s expensive for them, it’s not cheap, it is expensive. They have to work really hard every day. They have to play well, so he has to wait.
“In this moment he is behind the others.”
Shaw’s future has been shrouded in doubt having only played once in 2017 in the FA Cup fourth round against Wigan Athletic.
He has also suffered two public criticisms from Mourinho when he was blamed for a Watford goal at Vicarage Road in September and then had his commitment questioned when he said he wasn’t fit to play at Swansea in November.
Asked if Shaw can become the kind of left-back he wants, Mourinho added: “Potentially he has many things that I like, but potential is one thing and another feel that his booking against SaintEtienne last week, his third in the competition, is not the worst yellow card he has ever received. Suspension has ruled him out of the second leg in France meaning he should be fresh to start Sunday’s EFL Cup final. The question is who replaces him in midfield? The most likely options are Marouane is on the pitch to express all the qualities that I like a player to express.
“He has to keep working like Henrikh Mkhitaryan did for a long time.”
Meanwhile, Anthony Martial has dismissed the idea that he wants to quit United – and vows that next season will be better.
The £35m striker was bought from Monaco in the summer of 2015 by Louis van Gaal and took the Premier League by storm, scoring 17 goals in his debut campaign.
But under Mourinho, the 21-yearold has scored only seven goals and hasn’t been a first choice.
It fuelled rumours of unrest and a potential loan move to Seville.
But Martial insists he is going nowhere.
He said: “I love Manchester. I love the club. I love the fans. I enjoy them backing me.
“I try to be as good as possible to make them happy. I want to stay as long as possible in this club.
“Last year I played a lot, to play back-to-back games. I have to wait.
“I work very hard. I work a lot and am surrounded by great players.
“I am sure next season will be even better.”
WHAT NOW FOR LUKE SHAW? IT is difficult to see where Luke Shaw goes from here. It was a surprise that he did not start at Blackburn on Sunday, but there was always the chance he could play in France.
Yet, even with United leading the tie 3-0, he has not made the trip.
Mourinho has insisted the left-back will not be sold in the summer. But it is hard to see how he can get a run of games before the end of the season.