UNITED STAR BACKTRACKS ON JOSE DIG
ANTONIO VALENCIA has had to publicly apologise for liking a social media post calling for Jose Mourinho’s head – adding to the chaos at Manchester United.
Paul Pogba also claims he has been gagged, UEFA have levelled two charges for the team’s late arrival at Tuesday’s Champions League game and police say officials knew for weeks there was going to be no escort to the match.
Captain Valencia had to make his grovelling apology yesterday, claiming he had not read the Instagram post attacking Mourinho.
Valencia backed his boss and said: “I liked a post on Instagram without reading the text that accompanied the picture.
“These are not my views and I apologise for this. I am fully supportive of the manager and my team-mates. We are all giving our everything to improve the results.”
The Ecuadorian was dropped by Mourinho for Saturday’s defeat to West Ham amid reports of a fallout. Recalled on Tuesday, he captained the side against Valencia.
But after the 0-0 draw he then liked the post by fan account teamvalencia25 which said, “It’s time for Mourinho to go.”
The right-back insisted after Tuesday’s match he backed Mourinho and accepted the manager’s decision to drop him.
He said: “I’ve never had any problems with anyone. The decision is up to the manager and you’ve got to respect it.”
He also claimed the players were trying after the United manager had claimed some cared more than others.
Valencia added: “The guys are calm and everyone is working hard every day with the right attitude.”
While Valencia claimed everyone is united, Pogba sounded a different message by revealing he had been silenced.
Asked for an interview after the Valencia game, the France star said: “I’ve been told I’m not allowed.”