I NEED ROO
Jose still has a job for Wayne at United
JOSE MOURINHO says Wayne Rooney can still play a key role in Manchester United’s season.
Former England captain Rooney has been out in the cold at Old Trafford due to a niggling ankle problem.
The 31-year-old has not started a game since March 4 as speculation mounts he will leave United at the end of the season.
But he has returned to full training and is desperate to face Anderlecht in tonight’s Europa League quarter-final second leg.
Rooney could be among the substitutes at Old Trafford, and Mourinho has told him he can still have a big impact between now and the end of the campaign.
The United boss said: “He’s working now and he’s improving. If in training there is something positive, I will select him to be on the bench.
“His experience and his know-how can be useful. If we need a goal he can help us.
“If we need to keep a result and keep control by having possession, he can help us too.
“Hopefully his answer in training is positive. He’s had a few problems and, I’m not saying he is old, but when you get to a certain age it’s a bit more difficult to recover.
“We have seven matches still to play in the Premier
League plus or three or four in the Europa League, so we could go to 10 or 11 matches.
“We don’t have many players.
“We need everyone we can and hopefully he can be a help.”
Mourinho, meanwhile, has taken a swipe at Anthony Martial and told the Frenchman to start grasping what is required from his boss.
The 21-year-old has not scored since February and was axed from the squad for Sunday’s visit of Chelsea.
Mourinho added: “We have been together for almost 10 months – or something like that. The same way I know the players much better now, they should also know me much better now.
“The same way I know what the players like, I think the players also know what I like. The same way I have to go with the direction of the players, the players have to come in my direction.
“That’s why Marcus Rashford, even without scoring goals and not in the Premier League since September, was always a player I trust and I play and support because he is always coming in my direction.
“Do I think Anthony’s a player with great ability? Yes. Do I think he can play successfully for me? Yes. But he needs to give me things I like.” LYON and Besiktas have been given two-year suspended European bans after crowd trouble during their Europa League clash last week.