YOU SHIRKERS
Jose slams Smalling and Shaw after they cry off
Jose Mourinho last night risked a dressing-room revolt after accusing his Manchester united players of lacking the toughness to play through pain.
Defenders Luke shaw and Chris smalling both missed the 3-1 win at swansea after telling the united manager they were not fit to play.
Mourinho was furious at having to field a makeshift defence, saying: ‘There is a difference between the brave, who want to be there at any cost, and the ones for who a little pain can make a difference. if i were to speak with the many great football people of this team, they will say they played many times without being 100 per cent. For the team you have to do anything.
‘We have players with problems. To compete you have to go to the limit. it is cultural for some — and this is my culture. More than me, it is Man united.’
While Mourinho mentioned no names, he had earlier told MuTV that smalling ‘doesn’t feel that he can play 100 per cent with his pain’. he added: ‘Luke shaw told me this morning that he was not in the condition to play so we had to build a defensive line.’
it is the second time he has criticised shaw, having blamed him for one of the
goals in the 3-1 defeat at Watford in September. Mourinho did praise Holland defender Daley Blind, saying he had problems ‘but he put himself available to be on the bench and to try to help the team’. Following the victory, secured by a first-half brace from Zlatan Ibrahimovic and a volley from Paul Pogba, Mourinho suggested he needs to change the culture at United and fix ‘a situation that has been going on for a few years’. ‘It takes time,’ added the United manager, who also rapped his players for their Europa League defeat against Fenerbahce. ‘But with the help of people like Phil Jones, who was playing without having even trained, Ashley Young, Wayne Rooney, with these people it will not be an impossible mission but a possible mission.’ Ibrahimovic, who scored the 25,000th Premier League goal before Mike van der Hoorn pulled one back for the hosts, was his usual modest self. ‘I thought that was only me who had scored 25,000,’ he joked. The Swede also had toughness on his mind after picking up what appeared to be a soft booking, which rules him out of the next league game against Arsenal. ‘I thought we played rough in England?’ he said. ‘I play rough and I got a yellow card. What was it for? I don’t know. Maybe I was too tired to hear why the referee gave it.’ Mourinho took in the action from the stands as he served a one-match touchline ban. ‘I send texts when I needed something to be told to the team,’ he said. ‘I was in the dressing room before the game and again at half-time.’ Swansea boss Bob Bradley has one point from four matches and angry fans called for his head. He said. ‘They have every right to be angry and we have to be honest about the work that needs to be done.’ REAL
MADRID will today announce a new contract for former United star Cristiano Ronaldo that could keep him at the club until he is 36. The new five-year deal means the 31-year-old will have been at the club for 12 years if he sees out his new deal, which is not believed to include any major salary hikes but keeps him as the club’s top earner just above Gareth Bale, who signed an extension last week and yesterday scored twice in Real’s 3-0 win over Leganes.