‘Cup keeper’ Romero out, De Gea gets final start
DAVID de Gea will start the FA Cup final ahead of Sergio Romero.
Romero started in United’s first four FA Cup ties against Derby, Yeovil, Huddersfield and Brighton but suffered an injury on international duty with Argentina in Spain on March 27 and was sidelined for the semifinal triumph over Tottenham.
De Gea only made three starts in United’s Europa League campaign last term as Romero started every knockout tie, but the 31-year-old Argentinian will be on the bench at Wembley today.
“De Gea plays. Because he [Romero] was injured for a long, long time. He was injured for around two and something months.
“He didn’t play in some matches that would normally be his matches, the semi-final against Tottenham, a couple of more matches before the final.
“He trained only one week before the Watford match and a little bit more before, and that’s the reason.
“It’s not about trust, it’s not about my confidence in him because he felt last season where the Europa League final was a much more important match than this one - because the Europa League final was giving us the possibility to play Champions League. I played the Europa League final with Sergio.
“So it’s not about confidence or no confidence, it’s about the process of the last couple of months since he had an important injury against Spain.” JOSE Mourinho insists United’s season will not be defined by today’s FA Cup final.
The Reds finished second in the Premier League, a distant 19 points behind runaway champions City, but have the chance to round off their campaign by lifting some silverware against Chelsea at Wembley.
However, Mourinho is adamant the campaign cannot be judged on just this one match.
He said: “You can analyse the way you want to analyse. I can also analyse the way I want to analyse.
“Of course (winning the final) makes a difference, but it’s one thing to make a difference and the other is to consider the season good or bad because of one match.
“I analyse the work I do, the effort I put in, and everything we all did at the club. That includes the most important people at the club – the players.
“I’m not going to analyse them because of one - of course very important - match.
“I know the positive things and the negative things, so I am not going to change my analysis of the season because of the result of one match. Not at all.”
Mourinho will be desperately hoping Romelu Lukaku passes a late fitness test. The United boss was unable to confirm whether the Belgium striker would overcome the ankle injury he suffered, against Arsenal a fortnight ago, in time.
Some pundits have expressed fears today’s showpiece could be a dull, cagey affair, especially given some of United’s less-than-cavalier performances this season.
But Mourinho countered: “I don’t understand these words of entertaining.
“Do you think 6-0 is entertaining? I don’t think so.
“I think entertaining is emotional until the end, an open result until the end, everybody on their seats until the end, both dug-outs nervous and tense with the unpredictability of the result.
“For me as a football lover, not as a manager, that’s entertaining. I think it willl be entertaining.”
The Reds boss has also downplayed the acrimony that has developed from some Chelsea fans towards him by thanking them for their ‘phenomenal’ support twoand-a-half years ago.
The United boss was sacked by the Londoners for a second time in December 2015 and supporters sarcastically chanted his name as they inflicted a 4-0 Premier League thrashing on the Reds last season.
Mourinho was also branded ‘Judas’ by some Chelsea fans during United’s FA Cup quarter-final defeat at Stamford Bridge later in that campaign, and he responded by raising three fingers to signal the three Premier League titles he won with the club.
Current Chelsea boss Antonio Conte and Mourinho have traded barbs regularly over the last 18 months.
But Mourinho – who won three titles, three League Cups and the FA Cup during his two spells in charge at Stamford Bridge – chose not to create conflict with Chelsea fans.
“The only thing I say in relation to Chelsea supporters is that since my first day in 2004 until my last day when I was sacked a couple of years ago, they were with me unconditionally,” he said.
“They supported me every day. They supported me every match. They supported me even on the days I was sacked - twice, one in 2007 and another one a couple of years ago.
“That I will never forget because they did what I think great supporters do, which is to support their manager unconditionally until the last day.
“And I don’t forget that, for example, when we played I think it was Dynamo Kiev at home when people were already talking about the possibility of me being sacked, I don’t forget the whole stadium standing and singing in support for me.
“And that was a difficult moment because the results were not good.